


Petal

by RideBoldlyRide



Series: RWBY: The Argent Series [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Adult Situations, F/M, Flown North, Implied Past Abuse, Implied Sexual Content, Post Volume 4 RWBY, RWBY - Freeform, RWBY: The Argent Series, Spoilers, Summer x Qrow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-10
Updated: 2017-02-27
Packaged: 2018-09-23 07:38:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 25,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9646655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RideBoldlyRide/pseuds/RideBoldlyRide
Summary: Totally a Spoiler-Filled story.If you haven't seen the last episode of the Volume 4, then wait till you have. Or be prepped to have tons of spoilers.Between episode 8-12.Qrow feels the need to get some important things off his chest while staring down his mortality.





	1. Healing

It was dark by the time the airships had landed and long after midnight by the time the doctor had been to the inn RNJR and company was staying at. Ruby waited anxiously outside of the room, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Jaune placed a stilling hand on her shoulder, pausing her for a few moments. All three offered her consoling words, but the young woman heard them enough to acknowledge, and no more.

When the doctor once more emerged, Ruby rushed to his side. With a solid nod, she felt the tension slip from her shoulders.

"You'll need to watch him tonight, and if he worsens, immediately contact me. But," the doctor allowed a small smile, "he should be fine."

Both stepped away from each other, but Ruby paused with her hand on the handle as the doctor stopped and turned to her.

"Are you Summer? Or Ruby?" They asked.

Slowly, she turned to the doctor. Her brows were knitted tightly together. "I'm Ruby. Why? What happened?"

The doctor shook his head slightly, and smiled faintly at her again.

"Just a few fevered words. I had a feeling they were people important to him. I'm glad that at least one of them was here."

He turned once more, and continued down the hallway. With a glance around at her friends, Ruby spoke.

"Go sleep, all of you. I'll keep an eye on him tonight. You have your own room, right?"

As expected, Jaune spoke up first. "We can trade off. You fought the same beast we did."

Nora added in, "You need to be able to sleep, too."

Ruby's eyes followed the two of them as they spoke, and found herself turning to Ren. A sad smile pulled at one side of his mouth.

"No."

He turned to his teammates. "Ruby wants to spend the time with her uncle. After all of this, I think we all can understand her desire."

Ruby smiled at them all. "Thank you- I really mean it. But Ren's right. I'm worried about him, and couldn't sleep even if I wanted to now. You guys should all sleep. All three of you deserve every bit of sleep."

They nodded and filed away from the door, and Ruby turned back to the door handle she clutched. Slowly turning the handle, she slipped into the room. Quietly, she closed the door behind her, hoping not to wake the injured older man. As she neared his bedside, she noticed that he was out of his usual clothes as his huntsman garb was neatly folded on a chair beside his bed. Laying on his back, he looked startlingly still. But as she neared, she noticed his lips moving ever so slightly.

Ruby reached his side, and placed a hand on his shoulder. Qrow's head turned slowly towards her, his heavily feverish eyes, opening to slits. They were moving wild and unseeing.

"Mmr?" He mumbled, incoherent.

"Hey, Uncle Qrow. It's me, Ruby."

Even in the dimmed light of the room, she could see a small smile form on his lips. Under her hand, the young woman could feel his shoulders relax. As his eyes closed again, Ruby could swear she heard him say something about 'kiddo', but she dismissed it as wishful thinking. It would be sometime before he'd be coherent- the doctor had said that even before seeing him. Getting off her knees at the side of the bed, she moved around the room, organizing it into a comfortable space for her night vigilance. Pillows propped on the floor at the base of the chair and nearby table, and within the grasp of Qrow, if he should need her. Drink and a few small snacks nearby. Her weapon at her side should she need it. Qrow's sat perched against a corner with Ozpin's cane. Even if she knew the full workings of her uncle's weapon, she doubted her ability to wield it. Hers was built to her frame, but Qrow's was heftier and definitely too big for her. No, if there was a threat, she would handle it with Crescent Rose.

Before she settled in completely, Ruby made certain that Qrow's materials were together. His scythe (it bugged Ruby immensely that she still didn't know the name of her uncle's weapon. He kept that a personal secret), cape, flask and boots were all together on the nightstand near the corner. Retrieving the last of his effects, his clothes, she spun on her heel. The motion slipped something dark and previously unseen, clattering across the floor and under a nearby dresser.

Silently, she cursed herself for forgetting her uncle's scroll. _Of course it would have been with his clothes!_ Getting to her knees, she spied it out of the darkness, already open and glowing. Retrieving it, she moved to close it, but paused, staring back at her was her uncle's heavy-lidded, tired gaze. A video? It was taken recently- his face was gaunt and pale from the poison in his system. Darkness inked out everything around him in the still. _At night? Was this from the same night he told us about the maidens? About his semblance?_

Her mind screamed at her to close his scroll- it was Qrow's and it wasn't fair for her to snoop through. She hesitated, poised to close it. _But if it was from the same night, was this more? More that he hadn't told them_. Her eyes flicked over to her uncle. In the time it had taken her to move about the room, he had rolled to his side, curling into a tight ball. It was disconcerting for a moment, and she didn't know why.

 _Never leave your back to the door, and if you can, sleep on your back._ She could hear Uncle Qrow's voice echoing in her skull, _Or even better, get into a tree ..._

There was only two reasons she could think of him sleeping like this- first, he was so sick, his training was overwhelmed by comfort, and her heart plummeted at the thought. Or secondly, he actually felt safe.

Her eyes once more moved to the still-glowing scroll in her hand. She placed it- still open- on the dresser, and moved to place his clothes with the rest of his things. With determination she put his clothes down and turned to the brightest light source in the room. Not looking twice she snatched up his open scroll and a blanket and burrowed herself into her pillow fort she had created at Qrow's bedside.

 _If I start this,_ she reasoned, _and it either isn't for me, and is something I shouldn't be seeing, I'll turn it off. But I have to know..._

Sucking in a deep breath, she pressed play.


	2. So it begins....

  
_"Hey, kid."_

_Okay, it's for me._ Ruby let out the deep breath she had been holding.

_"So," he ran a hand through his disheveled hair and dropped his head, his usually sign of exasperation. "You asked if there was more I wanted to tell you."_

_He glanced back up at the camera, and his eyes were nervous._

_"There is. A lot more, but there's multiple reasons why I couldn't tonight. And before you even begin to think it-" his eyes grew hard, and a finger pointed at the screen. "My secrecy has never been due to a lack of trust in you."_

Behind the hard look in his eye, Ruby knew her uncle well enough to know there was more. Fear and sadness. Maybe even a bit of ... regret?

_"In fact," and with that moment, it was gone and her Uncle's snarky demeanor had firmly reemerged. "Do your Unc-" his voice broke with a small cough, and Ruby felt a familiar prickling in her eyes, knowing it was a forerunner for what happened next. "Qrow," his voice came out, as if stubbornly forced from his mouth, " a favor and watch this somewhere away from everybody. And check for any birds. Don't laugh- I'm dead serious."_

His eyes slid away from the camera, scanning the inky darkness around him. Ruby could hear him mutter something along the lines of 'she always finds out anyway' before once more looking into the camera.

_"I'm assuming you have found somewhere safe to watch this now."_

_"So," he swallowed heavily, once more dropping his gaze. "I guess the best place to start is the biggest and most important. The stuff I don't want to die having not said. I can already tell what this stuff is doing to me. If this is going to be my swan song, I need to tell you everything." His brows were peaked and his eyes sad. They pierced, garnet and steady through the scroll's camera._

_"You know how STRQ started. That's where things started becoming important. You've asked about my past before, and if I survive this, force me to sit down and tell you." There was a small chuckle in his voice, and he continued, "But right now, STRQ is where I'm starting. I was trying to be paired with my sister. You know, in Emerald Forest. But, within a few steps, I rounded a tree and straight into your mom. Didn't even see her there. Heh." He chuckled again, his eyes raised but farseeing. "Short stack." The small smile was back but this time it actually reached his eyes._

_With a small shake of his head, he snapped out of his reverie. "From there, the four of us were teamed together. Raven, Taiyang, your mom and me. She was our leader. You got that from her."_

He paused. Ruby was surprised to find herself anxious. She quickly paused the video and placed the open scroll down at her feet. With the scroll out of her hands, they trembled and looked foreign to her, so she shoved them under her arms, wrapping her knees up with them. The young woman looked up at her uncle sleeping far too calmly. Qrow had yet to say anything that was earth shattering in his video, but there was something reality-altering in the way he spoke. Just by his demeanor, by how he spoke, the openness and pure intensity; it was as if he knew then that when she saw this, it would change her entirely. Ruby once more looked at the slumbering man, and found it difficult to relate the three versions of him together: her Uncle Qrow who played hard, and fought hard; the broken, lonely man she saw by the fireside that night after OniYuri; and the injured, sallow and vulnerable man curled into a ball in the bed before her.

With a determined nod, she made her mind to leave it paused for a moment to check on Qrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you all think of Qrow's "voice". This is my first time writing any Rwby characters so I'm trying to channel some of their personalities for the first time, which means I really could use feedback- constructive is the best.


	3. So soon?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ones a long one. But I couldn't see a good place to break it up. Hopefully it was worth its length....

  
Placing a hand on his forehead, she could tell he was still feverish and clammy, and despite her recognition that he was better than he was, the ice that had been settled in her stomach since OniYuri refused to thaw. At Ruby's touch, he curled tighter again, mumbling inaudibly.

Sighing, she whispered like a prayer, "Please stay with me, Uncle Qrow."

Turning back to her nest of pillows, she again settled deeply into it, pulling her blanket up over her knees. With a trembling hand, willed to stillness, she fumbled for the scroll. The young woman's finger hesitated over the scroll, and sighed once, pressing play once more.

_Qrow sighed. "When I told you that we were the best class to graduate Beacon, I was only slightly exaggerating. The four of us- we excelled both in the battlefield and in the classroom, and even the bedroom." He chuckled, before shrugging, "eh- you're old enough to know now."_

Ruby tucked her knees tight under her chin. This was the uncle she knew.

_"So it was no real surprise when Ozpin pulled the four of us in to his office near the end of our fourth year." His eyes were once more getting the faraway look. "He hinted to us that he would like to bring us into a special position after graduation. In the meantime, he was going to send us on special missions to make sure how we all worked together in more... challenging circumstances."_

_"The missions were hard. They took us all over the place and lasted for weeks, with one almost taking a month."_

_"We had all gotten so close, Ruby. It wasn't even a full year into school that Taiyang and Raven got... closer." A corner of his mouth twitched. "It had been obvious from the first day. Tai had fallen head over heels for her. She was the edge he just didn't have, and he gave her the first bit of joy- true happiness- that she had ever had in her life. And for the first time in her life, she was in a place that she didn't have to be a protective big sister. Tai was happiness and laughter. Something she never had before."_

_"As I'm sure you can figure, my first few years were spent with, uh... a constant... flow? ... of other female students in my life."_

If Ruby didn't know better, she could have sworn that her uncle's cheeks were slightly pink.

_"I'm trying to be as honest and open as I can, kid." He pushed his hand through his hair again. Sighing he started once more. "But a few years in, something changed. If I make it through all this- I'll give you the whole story if you want it. If I survive all of this, I'm going to be telling a lot of stories."_

_Qrow's laugh broke into a coughing fit, which he started to quell using his flask. But even as he brought it to his lips, he pulled it back and stared at it, studying the etching in the leather like it was the first time he had really seen it. He closed it, but instead of putting it away, placed it next to him. His voice, raspier than usual, growled on._

_"By the time we were going on the missions for Ozpin, Tai and Raven were starting to think hard about what was next for them after school. So it wasn't long before those two were no longer going on those missions. They were going a different path than... well, than your mom and I were. As promised, on graduation night, he pulled the two of us into his office. He explained the things I told you tonight- the two brothers, the maidens, and even more. And after we got done laughing at the ridiculousness of it all, and realized he was serious, we agreed to help._

_"So off we went- all over Remnant. Following this lead, finding that maiden, pursuing that one Grimm. We were gone on a mission when the call came that Yang had been born. We were in Vacuo, following a lead on a Grimm dragon. We came back as swiftly as we could, but she was already six months old, and Raven was already gone before we even laid eyes on her._

_"So, what changed in that last year at Beacon- what lots of people at Beacon especially- already know is what changed. What happened to ST--" he glanced up, his eyes focused beyond and behind the recording scroll. Qrow wrapped his left arm tightly to the cloth at his waist, standing, and with his right, drew his sword._

She could hear the growl and knew instantly that it was a Beowulf.

Even as she heard it leap, she saw her uncle move into action, using a solid swing to split it in two. One part of the carcass landed with a wet plop where Qrow had been sitting. He grunted at it, and used his boot toe to roll one half of the carcass over. Wincing, the older man folded his legs under himself, and retrieved an item she couldn't see.

_A female voice emerged from the darkness._

_"You're not going to die this time, brother."_

_He snorted, and his gaze was to the opposite side of the screen._

_"That's comforting." His tone of voice told the complete opposite. "So to what do I have the honor of actually talking to my sister this soon again? Making a deathbed confession? Or just to say a final farewell."_

_"I wanted you to know that you will live beyond this. Just in case," she stepped forward into the line of sight of the screen. She looked to be a replica of Yang, were she raven-haired. With a pointed glance towards the camera she continued. "You don't wish to bare your soul this way."_

_"How thoughtful. Ironic how one of the people that I don't want privy to this information is the one telling me this."_

_"I already know, Qrow." A long, shuddering breath escaped him, and he seemed to shrink, his head dropping._

_Her step-mom walked forward to her uncle, and with a pause, kneeled in front of him, matching his eye level. Her voice softened._

_"I know, Ro. But I have never heard it. And as long as I have not heard it, I can't do anything. There may be a time when that changes, but right now, that's the way it is. Do you understand? Ro? Qrow?" Slowly, he raised his eyes to hers, heavy-lidded, vulnerable and anguished._

_"I have to tell her." It was the softest whisper that escaped the huntsman's lips._

_"Then tell her. In person. You'll survive this, I promise. Have I ever broken a promise to you?"_

_He shook his head._

_"Then be patient. And stop being selfish."_

_He scoffed lightly, "I could say the same to you." There was no anger in his words, only melancholy._

_A slight smile escaped her lips, "You were always better about that than me. No arguments tonight. I came to tell you that only."_

_"Okay."_

_The dark-haired woman stood and placed a hand on the crown of his head. "Till you are well again, brother." Her voice had once more regained its formality._

_"Yeah, till then Raven."_

_She turned and walked away and out of sight. A sound of feathers ruffling came from behind the screen and was gone in an instant. In the silence, his blade dug awkwardly into the ground until it slipped from his grasp and he rolled back off of his heels, losing his balance. The small rattle visibly set his teeth on edge._

Ruby could feel her tears falling freely. To see her uncle in that much pain hurt her to the core.

_Qrow looked up at the camera._

_"Guess you saw all that, huh?" He let escape a depreciating chuckle. "I don't usually agree with my sister, but I think she might be right about this."_

_He rolled to his knees and palms, and the huntsman pulled himself to his feet, his broadsword back in hand. He turned to retrieve the item that had ended up under the corpse. His flask._

_Ruby couldn't help but smile despite it all. And then he retrieved the scroll. It was obvious that he had left the video running for his trek back to the campsite. Just barely she could make out the four sleeping shapes at the faded fire. She could hear when he sat down at the base of the tree they found him at that next morning. He turned the camera back to himself._

_"So, kiddo, here's what we're going to do. If you see this, and I make it, force me to stop moving, make sure I'm sober, and get the rest of this story out of me."_

She would have chuckled if his face had been any less serious. He meant every word he was saying.

_"If I ... if I don't get through this, show this video to Tai. He'll know the rest."_

_His face grew angry, "And Tai- this is what we agreed on. Don't you dare dismiss this. You owe it to her."_

_Softening a bit, he continued._

_"Ruby, please, if I don't make it... tell your sister- tell Yang I'm sorry. And that I love that firecracker."_

_Qrow's face once more fell, as if he had lost all of his energy._

_"Ruby. Kid, I- I'm just as stupid and silly as I've ever been. In all the wrong ways, it would seem. Ruby, I love you. And I'm proud- so proud of the woman you are. I'm hanging on to the hope that I get to know the woman you will become."_

_A small smile fell on his lips. "Goodnight, Petal."_


	4. The Past Follows You Like a Shadow

Every nerve in Ruby's body seemed to tingle, as if the darkness around her was a physical presence in the room. There was very little that was a revelation to her in the message itself, but the nickname- Petal- it rattled about in her head. Her mom used to call her that all the time, and even if it was a fuzzy memory, she remembered that. But she couldn't remember her uncle ever calling her Petal.

She shook her head, and looked back down to Qrow's scroll. The video was over but there was more. A folder that the video was part of sat locked. There were other locked folders, but those didn't matter to her. No, she wanted to know what was in the folder that held that video. It was titled "Ruby".

A password prompt appeared, blocking the only access she could utilize to get to the folder. She attempted multiple passwords- "Mistral", "STRQ", "Raven", "Branwen" "Beacon", even "Yang", "Ruby" and "Tai". Her fingers paused over the keyboard as an idea entered her mind.

S-U-M-M-E-R.

Access granted.

The first file was the video- she moved on. The next was a photo. A picture she recognized of her mother, up in a tree, perched on a branch, staring at a sunset. She had seen it at her mother's grave right before she left for her second semester at Vale. Ruby assumed it was a picture her father took. But looking at it again, now on her uncle's phone, she realized the photo taker was in the tree with her. It couldn't have been Taiyang Xiao Long. He couldn't climb a tree to get Zwei out of one a few years ago. Ruby and Yang had to work to get him down, which resulted in a few lost branches, casualties to scythes and dust blasts.

Scrolling on, a picture of Team STRQ. It wasn't the one that they all carried. This was a casual photo- it was obvious to see that her mother had taken the picture of all four together. The smiles on all their faces was almost disconcerting. She couldn't remember ever seeing her family ever smiling that full-heartedly.

The next photo startled her so much she nearly dropped his scroll. It was taken by Qrow, his long arms able to make a wide angle photo. There was a lazy smile on his face. On his chest, an auburn haired woman in a white cape slept soundly. Her mother.

A feeling of panic gripped at her chest, and instead of studying each photo, she flipped rapidly through them. Every picture was happy. If she allowed herself one stipulation, she noticed that as time passed, Raven seemed more distant, less genuine. Then, suddenly, after a short grainy video of Qrow holding a squirming and laughing Yang, dipping her, and laughing heartily with her, Raven stopped appearing.

Any photos or videos after that with her father in them seemed less enthusiastic, and his smile seemed forced. It's also when her uncle started graying. There were more pictures of Qrow and her mother together, in other lands- places she couldn't even begin to recognize. Then there was a short grainy video that started with a sunset. The background track was Qrow's obvious rumble of a voice. Within a few moments, it panned back to a younger version of the man in a feverish stupor before her.

_"Missin' ya, Short Stack. I should be back soon. Heh. Soon as in, I don't know, a week or 6 months?" He shook his head. "I'll be home as soon as I can. But, I figured you might like this sunset."_

_Panning, the video took in the vivid white landscape again painted with even more brilliant oranges and pinks._

_"Anyway," his disembodied voice continued, "even though I'm missing you, I am glad you're there to take care of Tai. You're better at that kinda stuff than I am."_

_"My goal is to be home by Yang's 2nd birthday. That way I don't miss anything. I can't believe it's been two months already since I've seen you. I won't lie-" his already low voice dropped a decibel, and quieted. "I've got some ideas on how to show you how much I've missed you."_

_There was a long pause as the sun slipped below the horizon. When Qrow spoke again, his voice was warm and laced with melancholy._

_"Love you, Summer."_

Ruby couldn't look at any more. Her mind was racing. It didn't take long for her mind to make the calculations. Yang's 2nd birthday- she was born a few months before. Which means that her mom was pregnant when he sent her the last video. But Qrow was protesting his love for her. She didn't know what to think.

These pictures and videos were destroying everything she thought she knew. All of his words, pictures and videos, they ran through her memories making things that she knew as facts into question marks. There was no way she could understand without Qrow explaining it.

So instead of allowing her panic to set her off, she closed Qrow's scroll and wrapped the blanket even more tightly under her chin. The young woman stared at the rise and fall of the injured huntsman's chest, forcing all of her brain power to the studious observation, keeping tabs on it evenness. It didn't take long for her to discern when he was having nightmares, even when he didn't murmur or cry out.

* * *

 

So intently she monitored Qrow, that it wasn't until there was a knock on the door did she notice that the sun had begun to peek out from behind the pulled curtains.

Emerging from her pillowy nest, she stretched. Before even realizing it, she had Crescent Rose holstered at the small of her back and was moving to the door.

_Uncle Qrow always told us that our weapons would become like putting on a shirt. You'd feel naked without it. He was right._

The knock sounded again, and Ruby mumbled as she neared it.

"Yeah, yeah."

She opened the door to see to her surprise, Ren.

He nodded once.

"Do you need anything? We are headed into town for supplies--"

"He means we're starving so we're going to get food," Nora's voice bounced down the hallways towards her. Even as exhausted as Ruby was, a grin came easily to her face.

"No, I'll just order in. Thanks though."

Jaune sauntered past, and spoke up as he did.

"We did that last night. Bad idea."

The petite woman shrugged. "Guess I'll have to take my chances."

Ren nodded again. "Very well. We'll return shortly."

"Thanks again, guys."

With a spin, Nora turned on her toe and continued down the hallway, waving as she went. The other two caught up with her, and they all made their way to the main street the inn was located on. Ruby stood in the doorway and watched after them, lingering even after they had left and made their way down the street.

She turned back to her shared room with Qrow, and took a deep breath before her reentry into the silent space. Closing the door behind her, she moved to her bed, placing Crescent Rose down onto untouched covers.

Ruby turned to her uncle, the steady rise and fall of the covers demonstrated his peaceful sleep. The nightmares had stopped plaguing him for the time.

Moving to the bed on which he slept, she noticed that like her, he had not moved through the night. Resting her hand on his cheek, her spirits lifted slightly when she noticed his fever had broken.

It was going to be a bit longer before he was awake, so she moved to clear up her nest of pillows, freeing the feet of the chair. After returning the pillows to their rightful place, she pulled the chair over to a nearby writing desk, and started compiling another letter to Yang.

_"Hey sis! ..._

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can tell, I've tried to tie this thing into the episode at this point. So, you know what happens next... except with a twist. ;)
> 
> Thanks for reading, again, and I hope you enjoyed it! Please let me know what you think, or any suggestions below.


	5. Maybe It'll All Be Okay

_"...I really think things are gonna start going our way."_

As the young woman's pen tapped the final period to her letter, she heard a groan. Putting the pen down, Ruby rose to her feet, hurrying quickly to Qrow's side.

Kneeling at the side of his bed, her eyes were wide with concern, but when his opened, the ice in her stomach started to melt.

"Hey," his voice rasped out, a little deeper than usual. "Aren't I the one normally saving you?"

Tears started to well, and a small smile came to her lips. Wiping away the tears gathering, she quietly responded.

"Not this time, Unc-" even as it started to slip out of her mouth, it caught in her throat. She redoubled her efforts and tried again. "Uncle Qrow."

His easy smile wavered slightly at her catch, and worry furrowed his brow. Reaching out, he placed his hand over hers on the side of the bed.

"Hey, kiddo, what's wrong?"

The prickling sensation was back, and she swallowed hard to force down the tears she wanted to shed. Instead, she shook her head.

"Nothing. Not right now."

Instead of calming the huntsman down, his eyes grew wide and his mouth turned down.

"Did everyone make it?" Fear laced his words.

"Oh!" Her eyes grew wide, realizing she had given off the wrong impression. "Yeah, everyone's fine!"

Qrow sighed, his shoulders relaxing once more. Slowly rolling on to his back, he began to methodically stretch.

"Then," his voice changing pitch as he slowly stretched, "what is it, kiddo?"

Fully stretched, and on his back, he only grimaced slightly as he moved. The huntsman rested his head on a raised arm. He pointed at Ruby, a playfully stern look on his face.

"Don't tell me 'nothing' again. I know my niece well enough to know better."

Now that he had pried a little more, she found herself wanting to barrage him with questions. Had it been just a year ago, the urge would have been to great, and she doubted he could have taken it while he was healing. Instead, she shook her head.

"Not till after your done healing."

She stood up and turned away, putting her back to him. The last thing he needed to see was the fear in her own eyes. When he was worried about her, he was practically unstoppable.

"Come on, Ruby- I normally can't get you to stop when I leave it open ended like that. Listen,  I've been in worse scrapes than this. I'm sure I can handle whatever is going on in your--"

"Not now, Qrow." And even though the words were spoken softly, she knew it was the wrong thing to say. He was never just 'Qrow' to her. He was her uncle, and one of the people closest to her. She just didn't know what to call him anymore. Was he really her uncle? Or more? Or less? Ruby didn't know, and was honestly frightened to tears to find out. But until she did, how could she call him "Uncle"?

"First name only, huh? Guess I must have done something to deserve that." The twinge of hurt was obvious in his face. Ruby looked over her shoulder at him. Her eyes were sad, and her brow furrowed. She moved to speak, but he held up his free hand to stop her. Slowly, he sat up and moved to swing his feet to the ground. Without hesitation, Ruby was at his side locking her arm under one of his, to offer as much support as she could. Groaning as he moved to stand up, he pressed his other arm into the still healing flesh of his wound.

Once on his feet, he looked at the uncharacteristically quiet young woman at his side. In his mind, his words from the night that felt like a decade ago, echoed.

_'I'm proud of the woman you have become.'_

His only wish was that Summer was around to see how her daughter had grown.

Suddenly, his brain made the connection. He looked around almost frantically for his belongings. He quickly spied the scythe, Ozpin's cane, his clothes and boots, his flask. All together, and organized it was obviously Ruby's handiwork. When it came to equipment, that girl loved to organize.

He looked to the bedside table, and was both relieved and dismayed to find his scroll there. If Ms. Organized did not put it with his stuff...

In that short time, from when he first woke up, he was hopeful that maybe she hadn't seen his message. Not that he didn't want to tell her, but there had to have been a better way than the half-finished, abortive message he had left. And maybe he could have postponed it a little bit more. Not a lot- just a little bit.

But her demeanor and the scroll being out of place as it was, he had no doubt. Idly, he wondered if she had seen any of the other things he had on there. And if so, how much?

He was startled out of his reverie by the tightening of Ruby's hand on his forearm.

"You okay?"

He nodded mutely.

"Where are you planning on going? I mean, I get that you're going to do whatever you want and all, but you're moving like you're back to 100% and you're definitely not."

Qrow didn't want to talk- it was always dangerous to talk, but right now, it felt almost deadly.

"Shower." Short and sweet. Easiest answer he could come up with.

"Okay. Do you need help to get there, or can you make it?" Her eyes were steadily locked with his.

"I- I-" the memories of Summer were crushing. A hollowness filled his chest, and combined with the weakness from the poison, it took all of his power to stay upright. He started to stumble and Ruby quickly adjusted his arm over her shoulder and an arm around his waist.

"Maybe this is too quick. Let's sit you back-"

He shook his head and in as steady of a voice as he could manage, Qrow spoke up.

"No." He steeled himself to look at Summer's daughter, and when he did, he was as strong as he could be. "No, I need- I need to clear my head."

She nodded, but her face spelled worry.

"I'll be fine, kiddo. You're right here. If I need help, I'll yell." He wouldn't, but it would placate her for him to say it. A twinge of conscience cut into his side, but he knew it was a necessary evil. He gently dislodged himself from her, and limped his way slowly around the room towards his gear.

"By any chance, did you get around to refilling my flask?" Trying a small smile, he hoped to use the levity to break the weight of the room.

She shook her head. "Sorry."

He shrugged and reached for his huntsman garb, lightly fingering the hole and stain in it. 

"Gonna have to hit my stash at the Academy."

"Of alcohol or clothes?" There was a slight lilt to her voice and he felt some of the pressure on his heart release.

"Both."

Ruby chuckled. He turned a smirk to her, and was rewarded with watching her eyes sparkle as she chuckled. _Gods, she's so much like her mother._

The smile stayed in her eyes after she stopped laughing. But suddenly, her face turned serious, and she cast her eyes to stare at her boot tips.

"Qrow-" he had to fight not to physically show how much it hurt to hear her call him that. "Qrow," she tried a second time, but both times it came forced.

"I don't know, right now, whether you're my uncle... or more... or... less. But-" she took a deep breath and looked him steadily in the eyes. "It doesn't matter. You're family, and you've always been there for me."

"I always will be." It was out of his mouth without thinking, a promise he would always try to keep despite its impossibility. His honesty came through all of his safeguards he had built.

"I know. And no matter what, I do love you."

Qrow felt his shoulders drop, and his brows peaked. A sigh escaped his lips as he stared down at Summer's daughter.

"And I love you, Petal." He turned away, and moved towards the bathroom, missing the tears that welled at Ruby's eyes.

"I'll be out in a few minutes. If you want to talk then..." he sagged as he paused at the doorway, "then we'll talk."

 

* * *

 

Ruby took the time while Qrow was in the shower to change. Having been in her huntress gear for the last few weeks, she was ready to be in her pajamas. Having no plans to leave the room for the day, she called in a food order, deciding against Jaune's warning. She ordered for Qrow, too, but kept them simple. Soup sounded appropriate, in case the conversation she was anticipating was rougher for her stomach.

It had just arrived when the huntsman emerged from the bathroom. Slowly limping and with his stained and torn gear half-on and drying his hair off with his towel, he paused when he saw Ruby sitting cross-legged on one of the beds, with pajamas on and food for two spread out before her.

His hand and towel dropped away from his head and his shoulders fell.

"Guess I'm not getting out of this right now?"

Ruby shook her head.

Sighing, he threw the towel back into the bathroom. "Should I go back to the casual clothes you guys had me in?"

She shrugged, a small smile on her face.

"You're being silent just to be a jerk, aren't you?"

Her grin grew.

"Alright, little one. Here's one you can't shrug yourself out off." He leaned in and raised a quizzical eyebrow. "What did you get me for food?"

The pettite young woman opened and shut her mouth a few times, tried to gesture, and ended up making small squeaking noises, before pulling a face. Qrow met her playful frustration with only a raised brow and a lopsided smirk.

"Oh, fine!" She broke her silence. "Its ramen. Didn't feel like anything heavy. That ok?" She put her hands on her hips.

He pulled a face and shrugged back at her. Turning, he heard her growl as he went back into the bathroom to change again.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are starting to heat up...


	6. Big Reveal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first part of this chapter flowed so easily, and the second was a bear. Had to rewrite it again right before posting. Ugh. Let me know if it worked right. Thanks for all the awesome comments, and feedback!

When he reemerged, Ruby was happy to see him back in the simple and loose fitting pants and shirt that they had given the doctor to temporarily replace his torn clothes. He wasn't going out to drink dressed like that. At least, she hoped not.

"If you want," she started first, "you can tell me where your clothes are, and I can call the other three to pick it up. They're out on the town right now."

"Yeah, that might not be a bad idea. Maybe they can snag me some whiskey while they're out."

She started to protest, but she looked up to see his eyes glinting with humor.

"Oh, ha ha," she said rolling her eyes.

"Give me your scroll, and I'll put in its address and how to get it. Then you can send it to them."

"'How to get to it?' How hard is it to get to??"

"Difficult enough. Can't have another guy walking around looking as good as I do, in my clothes, you know?"

She sniggered. They both fell silent as the food was divided up and eaten.

Placing his now empty bowl down, he dropped his head. Looking up through his bangs, he watched as Ruby finished her food.

Qrow broke the silence first.

"Alright, kid. Let's see what you know. You saw my video?"

Ruby paused mid-mouthful, ramen noodles cascading from her mouth. She swallowed hard, and nodded.

"I didn't get very far with that. That wouldn't make you this awkward. What else did you see?"

Ruby's stomach soured, and she pushed what was left of her mediocre ramen away. She should have listened to Jaune. The food was meh at best.

"I saw some of the pictures of you and dad's old team. And ones with my mom in them. I had seen one before at her grave, but I thought it was one of dad's. But when I saw it in your scroll I realized it was in a tree. There was no way Dad would ever have been in a tree."

Qrow chuckled. "He's always been scared to death of heights. Raven would use his fear to beat him in the arena. She was ruthless on the battlefield. Bit of our background, I think.

"So what else?"

"I saw one of you and mom. And..." Taking a deep breath and she looked down at her empty hands in her lap. They looked awkward and out of place. Everything did at that moment.

"And... I saw the video. The one you were going to send, or did send to mom. A sunset."

She glanced up at the man she always viewed as her uncle. As he sat with his head down, he was studying his hands as his elbows rested on his folded legs. With the oversized clothes, hanging loosely off his wiry frame, he looked like an awkward teenager being called out for sneaking out of school. In that moment, she could see Qrow at her age, uncomfortable and out of place at Beacon. Willing to be integrated into the people around him, but so different he just never quite did. Kind of like her.

"Okay." With the one word, he steeled himself, and the unsteady teenager was gone. Her Uncle Qrow met Ruby's eyes steadily.

"How do you want to do this? Big reveal immediately? Or do you want to know how things ended up the way they are first?"

"I want to know everything. But I want to know some things first."

He nodded, "Sounds fair. Ask away."

Before she could even think about it the questions poured from hier.

"Are you my uncle? I mean, I know not really, but kind of..."

"No."

"Okay. Who are you?" As soon as it slipped out, she realized how horrible it sounded to a man that had been there for her during the whole extent of her life.

If he was hurt by her question, he didn't let it show.

"In regards to what, Ruby?"

"Me. My family. Raven."

"I'll go easiest to hardest to admit. Raven is my sister and is Yang's mom. So that makes me Yang's uncle. Taiyang is my ex-brother-in-law. To you-" his voice broke, and he let his eyes fall away from hers. "I've fought so hard for this, so this goes against every instinct I've ever had."

"Ruby, I'm- You're my- " he stopped his false-starts for a moment. Swallowing hard against the fear clawing up his throat, he forced himself to meet her steady gaze.

"Ruby, you're my daughter."

 

* * *

In the moment that it took for the words to reach her ears and for her to recognize what it meant, Qrow - her _father_ \- unfolded his legs, grabbed both empty bowls and moved off the bed. Now that the words were out, he felt an overwhelming desire to move, to do _something_. The pain shot through his body, reminding him that he still was far from back to normal. After this day, he wondered if he would ever get back to what he had convinced himself was normal.

The pain doubled him, and he went down to a hand and knee. Miraculously, both of the bowls in his opposite hand, seemed to survive the fall. Using the unoccupied bed as a support he raised himself from his kneeling position as Ruby came to his side.

"I'm fine."

"But Un-" she caught herself.

"But you're still hurt."

"I've been worse, kiddo."

Stubbornly, she pressed onward, stooping to lock her arm under his. In the motion of rising, he felt the telltale tingle in the back of his mind.

"Ruby-" he started, when he felt the bowls start to slide from his grasp. He twisted to use his balancing hand to either catch or deflect it from crashing down on the young woman's bare foot.

Catching it was out of the question as they ricocheted off his extended hand, shattering on the floor. The pain on his side flared again, and he found himself gasping, once more clutching his side.

Ruby moved forward toward him once more.

"No, Ruby!" He held up a hand, rolling his weight back onto his haunches.

"I'm sorry. I should have list-"

"Don't." He interrupted her. The tingling in the back of his head was still there. Qrow was tired, so tired of that sensation. "Don't- don't apologize. It's not your fault. You're just trying to help."

The huntsman shook his head.

"I just don't want you getting hurt." His words came out as a whisper. _This is such a stupid thing_. He didn't need to be this stubborn, but the urge to be in control of something was overwhelming, when everything he knew was going haywire.

She kneeled next to him, and met his eyes. "I'm not going to get hurt." _Gently. So much like her mother._

"Dammit, Ruby. You just don't get it. Everyone does."

"But... " Even, in his obstructed view of her, he saw the tears start to come to her eyes. He dropped his head in defeat. She didn't know- she couldn't know- why this was all so hard for him. The only way she would ever know was to explain it.

"But I just want to help." Her voice, as quiet as a whisper.

 _'Don't go, Qrow, please...'_ the memories were haunting his steps.

_Dammit Summer, why did she have to inherit your way of breaking me?_

He felt the tears in his eyes and for the first time in many years, he didn't fight them. _Maybe. Maybe this time, I'll listen to Summer._

"Okay."

 

 


	7. Moment of Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah: this chapter delves into a little bit darker territory. Intimation of some messed up childhood stuff for those twins. I don't know why, but I figured that Qrow blamed the entire tribe for the actions of one, while Raven only blamed the one. So that one person was pretty nasty. Anyway- that'll make more sense as you read it. Let me know if you think I overthought this history... or not. 
> 
> Also. 
> 
> From this point forward in the story, a lot of what Qrow talks about will be handled with flashbacks. I feel like it's a bit more potent that way. So, without further ado- here we go!

It was silent save from their mutual sniffles as they both sat back on the edge of the bed. The broken bowls had been cleaned up in the same silence. Qrow was the one to break it first, his voice full with emotion. Ruby had never heard him like this before.

"I met your mom on the first day of class at Beacon. She was a bundle of energy, with an easy smile and a warmth that filled every room she entered. People flocked to her, but had no idea why. She was like a star that we all gravitated towards. I had fallen for her right then, but I didn't realize it in until a long time later.

"Ozpin introduced us- Raven and I- to her before Emerald Forest, hoping we would end up all together on a team. Guess he figured that two bandit kids with unique semblances and rare abilities with a Silver Eyed Huntress would make a good team.

"And we did. The four of us were fast, efficient and undefeated in the arena. For all four years, Vale was dominant, thanks to Team STRQ. Socially, Raven and Taiyang- they were the couple to be. A fiery-eyed wild woman, with the school's untouchable heartthrob."

He chuckled. Ruby brought her feet up under her and turned to watch her father as he spoke. His eyes were steadily gazing out the window, but had a faraway look.

"Summer threw herself completely into her schooling. One of the best students in all of Beacon. Yours truly kept himself occupied with all the women Taiyang unknowingly brushed off." He raised an eyebrow at her, the start of his mischievous glint in his eye. "There were plenty."

Ruby sent a long-suffering look his way. "Listen," she interrupted, "now that I know that you and my mom- you know-" she gestured vaguely, "you know!"

"Had sex?"

"Ugh! Ugh! Why?" She exaggerated her flailing in disgust. The huntsman's lopsided smile grew.

"Yeah that!" She protested, "I really don't want to hear about all these other women you did the nasty with."

Qrow laughed. "Don't worry, I'm not going into details."

"No. No tails. Please."

"Details. Though there was this fauness..."

"Ugh!"

Flinging herself onto the bed they were perched on, she made gagging noises.

"No stories, I promise."

" _Thank_ you!"

Chuckling, he reached for his scroll from the stand that Ruby had left it on the night before. Flicking it open, he opened the file he was looking for. Qrow passed it over to her.

She studied her doppelgänger intently. It was a photo she had never seen before. The woman was clutching a red stained tattered white cloak pulled tight across her shoulders, a hand on the bloodied arm of Qrow's, Tai and Raven standing awkwardly further back. Somebody snapped it when none of them were expecting, it was obvious, and their expressions were unguarded. They were surrounded by a group of villagers, all cheering, yet none of the team appeared happy.

"That's when it changed, Ruby. The last year in Beacon, the four of us were on a mission. Clearing Grimm out of the Northeast quadrant. We had been out there for a little less than a week. That's when we were ambushed..."

 

* * *

 

_He recognized them instantly. It was hard to miss Kestrel, her full-faced mask and the hook that was left of her right hand. There were times those scars still hurt. If they flew away- maybe both Raven and he could escape. They'd fought so hard to get away from them the first time. But that would spell death for Taiyang and Summer._

_But if they stayed, he and Raven may never escape again._

_With one look at his sister, he knew there was no chance that she was leaving Taiyang behind. After three years at both of Tai's and Summer's side, he couldn't imagine leaving them to that death. They might all suffer, but not alone._

_"Well, if it isn't the Branwen twins." Her words were full of venom. Qrow clenched his fists a little tighter, but it was Raven who spoke._

_"What do you want, Kestrel?"_

_"Oh, I was just in the area when I noticed a surprising amount of black birds about. Made me a bit heart-sick for my lost children."_

_Qrow growled, "We are_ not _your children!"_

_"Oh, the silent one has his words now! Hmm, you've grown up quite nicely," she turned her head towards him, moving silkily towards him, "No, you're not my children, thank the gods. You were some random whore's who left you to my people, only to die in the fields to our arrows. A weakling. You lived a better life with us than you would have with her." She grabbed his collar with her hook, pulling his face close to her mask. Raven knew to make no move- it would turn out worse for both of them if either one showed their weakness for the other. Tai wouldn't be an issue, his face shellshocked by the raiders._

_Summer, however, tugged against her captors. Raven lightly shook her head to dispel it, but it was too late. Kestrel had found a weakness._

_"Mm... Someone who cares for the well being of the carrion bird?" She purred. Releasing her grip on his collar, she turned to her new prey. Fear welled up inside him. Kestrel was hot for blood, and it was obvious that she had marked Summer as her target. The most innocent and inconspicuous looking of the four of them, she was the perfect vent for her rage-letting. And, of all of them, the only one to show a concern for Qrow's wellbeing._

_He had seen what that wicked hook could do to flesh._

_His eyes screamed sorrow and regret towards the petite woman._

I'msorrythisismyfaultyoushouldntbehereimbadlucktheyfoundusimsososorry...

_He wished at least some of that she understood. Or that she would actually look at him again. It might even divert Kestrel's warpath back to him and spare her. Instead, Summer stared down the larger woman defiantly._

_"A feisty one! Not even a cringe." Kestrel gestured off Summer's captors. He begged her with all his will that she'd use her semblance and leave. Leave the Branwen twins to take the damage as they were good at. Summer didn't move a muscle as Kestrel circled her._

_His fear had grown too great, and tunnel vision had set in. He missed his sister's silent cues that he was showing too much, or that Kestrel was staring him down from over the shoulder of Summer. His gaze met the silver eyes of Summer Rose, and he couldn't hide the horror that filled his mind._

_"The smallest, eh, Qrow? The weakest of the batch? That's the one you care about?" Her words jarred him from his stupor, and he knew instantly that he had played directly into Kestrel's hand. He hadn't known just how much he had cared till that moment, and now, she was going to take that from him. Slowly. She was a patient woman when it came repayment of what she viewed as betrayal._

_"Oh! It's a surprise, is it? Even better." She turned her face to Summer's ear. "Let's see how long it takes before he can't look at you any more. What do you think?" Summer's eyes hadn't changed, and she met Qrow's eyes steadily. Their gaze never wavered, even as Kestrel raised her arm once and again and again across her back. Tears formed at the sides of his eyes, but he bit at the scarred spot in his mouth where he had created to keep himself sane in these moments with Kestrel._

_On the third or fourth stroke, he broke. Even as he sucked in the deep breath to begin the movement of his escape from the arms that held him, he heard his sister's cry. "Ro, no!"_

_It was too late, and he used his momentum to swing his body and feet into one of the bandits holding him. He heard the pop he was bracing for from the opposite arm and swallowed down the pain. At least Kestrel had taught him how to do that well._

_Using the forward momentum of the kick, his arm slipped from the grasp of the other guard. Landing on his feet, he reversed his motion and braced his shoulders for the impact as he threw all his weight and momentum into the guard he had just escaped. The man went down hard, and Qrow continued the motion into a roll, back on to his feet, and was already in motion at full run towards Kestrel. His eyes glowed red, as he tackled her, his hands clawing for her mask. A finger made it through the eye slot, and he whipped it away. The middle-aged woman, white haired and scarred stared him down._

_"Just what are you planning on doing exactly, my Carrion Bird? You know how this works. I always-" he struck her once, but she continued talking, "-win. And there's no escape from-" he struck again and she blocked his blow with the hooked hand. He felt the burn of her hook graze across his arm. "-this anymore. You will always be here." Fury was building in his stomach, "Stuck. You will always-" he swung one more time. "-be ruled by me. And there's absolutely noth-"_

_Finally taking enough of her words, Qrow's fingers wrapped tightly around her neck and squeezed. As she gasped, he held tighter, and when her skin matched the pale color of her scars, he felt his red hot anger surge, even as he heard her voice through the roar of his fury._

_"Qrow! Stop!" Summer. She should understand why he needed to do this. This woman was horror and pain- he would be helping the world, helping her, to end this woman. She spoke again, quieter, soothingly._

_"Qrow, please."_

_He turned to her, the red staining her tattered cloak, her eyes sad. The bandits all stood back. Even Tai had stepped back. Raven and Summer were the only ones near him. The former stared down at him, cold and distant. She approved of his actions. The latter, on her knees beside him, sad and placating. Her hand on his forearm, and before he realized it, his grip had slackened._

_Kestrel took advantage of the pause and threw an open palm deep into his newly injured shoulder. Biting back a cry, he reeled back on to his hip._

_"You." she rasped as she regained her footing._

_"Will." She continued his reel as she towered over him with a solid back hand across his jaw._

_"Learn." A swift kick impacted at his abdomen._

_"Your." Doubled, he was completely unprepared for her hits. A measured blow to the back of his skull toppled his world, and he went to his hands and knees._

_"Place!" He didn't see the strike, but the familiar burn ran from one shoulder to his opposite hip._

_There was no way to bite back the cry that escaped his lips._

_A handful of bandits had moved in to join the fray, occupying the other three of his team. Kestrel kneeled down to press a deceptively light peck on his temple. "I discipline those I love so the weak may become strong."_

_He snarled._

_"No matter how many times you quote that mantra, it doesn't make you less of a monster." He turned his gaze as steadily as he could towards her._

_She caught his jaw in her hook, and kept his gaze as her face screwed up._

_"I will leave you as scarred as me, and no one will ever take you in but me. But you'll have to beg before I do. I promise you that."_

_Standing once more she used her hook to steady herself across his back tracing an uneven line deep into his muscle._

_A swift kick to his stomach rolled him, and the same burn rippled across his torso._

_"You and your sister will never escape us, my Carrion Bird." She raised her hook, but it never reached him. A blast struck the shoulder of her upraised arm, and it dropped lamely to her side. She roared and rounded on her attacker._

_Summer held her urumi out, the gun hidden in the handle still smoking. With Kestrel's left hand, she moved to release the hidden gun in her sleeve. There was no doubt that if she reached that gun, Summer would be dead._

_She was spectacular with Urumi's but in this close range, a blast by Kestrel's Blunderbuss would kill her. Even as the gun slipped to the older woman's fingers, and she raised her arm to aim, Qrow was to his feet, hands and arms around her neck. With a twist, the older woman let out a gasp and crumpled at his feet._

_Despite the sound of battle around him, he stared down at the limp body of a woman that haunted his nightmares. Suddenly, an unexpected void opened in his chest, and he felt so very tired._

_It was the touch of her hand on his arm that broke him from his reverie._

_He glanced around and realized that most of the bandits had run. They knew what happened when a leader was killed. Regroup, reform, and grow stronger. The weak are always culled._

_As he glanced around, he noticed a shadow that seemed to move when his eyes moved towards it._

_Tai moved forward, gazing somewhere above Qrow in awe._

_"Qrow, what the hell is that?" He turned around and gazed up._

_"What?" Nothing but the same shadow haunting the corners of his vision._

_"You don't see that?" Tai said, incredulously._

_Raven spoke up next, "He never has."_

_Summer gripped his arm tighter, staring him down. "What is it?" He asked her._

_She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. Are you okay?"_

_No. "Yes." It came easier than telling the truth._

_"Okay," she nodded once. Even Tai could tell he was lying, but Summer decided that it wasn't the fight for the moment. "Then let's get out of here before the Grimm start moving in. I think we can make it to Songji before we pass out. Maybe we can even convince Ozpin to send air buses for us."_

_Raven scoffed._

 


	8. Expectation

They had settled comfortably against the headboard of one of the beds as they spoke.

"Raven was wrong. Oz did send air buses for us."

Ruby had been transfixed throughout the story. Slowly, she came to herself.

"I don't understand. What happened next?"

"Your mom called me out. It had been the first time I had chosen to kill another reasoning being. Anytime before, the choice had been made for me, either by Kestrel or necessity to survive. I know why your mom didn't want me doing it. But by the time I finally did kill her it was either her or Summer. I made the choice. I have never regretted it.

"I couldn't see her hurt because of me.

"It took me a bit more time to bring myself to understand it, and even longer to tell her."

"You loved her."

He shook his head, "I love her. That has never diminished. It's not past tense."

"What did she say when you told her?"

Qrow chuckled. "She laughed at me. Said she was waiting for me to catch up.

"All the ladies I had wooed, and I couldn't realize the one that stood next to me everyday had fallen for me, and was waiting for me to realize that I had done the same over her. And despite her protests, we did agree to keep our relationship quiet. While Kestrel was gone, their were many others from our pasts that could use that information against us."

"So what happened? I still don't understand what happened next."

"Well, fast-forward to the end of graduation, and Oz pulls in your mom and me. He tells us about all the maidens, the silver eyed warriors, the two brothers, and so much more. We thought he was crazy. But he proved it, bit by bit. When he was done, we asked for time to talk it out.

"Tai and Raven were already getting married after graduation. Date was set and everything. We-" he paused for a moment, "well, we had each other and that was all that mattered. If we could be helping others and be with each other doing it, all the better."

"So we took Oz up on his offer. Graduated and by the next week, we were following a lead on a black market trade gone south. We did that for a few years - in town for a few days or weeks, staying with Tai and Raven - and then we were gone again. Off to who knows where for who knows how long. After a few years, we took off a month and built a small house on the property. It was tiny but it was our space."

"House?" She didn't remember any homes on the property.

"It's the one in the back east corner."

"That small guest house?"

"It was all we needed."

"But you rarely stay there when you're come to visit."

"When I feel... strong enough to deal with the memories, I do. It can feel like a memory of all the things we could have had."

"What happened? When did it start going wrong?"

"When Raven left. We came home to find your sister crying, hungry, while Tai stood over the sink, unmoving. She destroyed him. What Yang doesn't know is that Tai knew exactly where she was going. It was in a note she left behind for him. There was no point in going after her, even though I offered multiple times.

"Oz gave us some time off to spend with him. To try to get him back to working order."

He shook his head. "It started to work. Then a call came- an important one- that I couldn't say no to. But we decided that Summer would stay to keep a watch on Yang and Tai. We had been there for about a year, so Yang had gotten used to your mom, so we figured it would be easier if she just took the title. Yeah, she was aunt, but she could be mom too.

"I took off for the first time by myself for a mission. It was hell. From the start nothing went right. That video was during that mission. It took me nearly eight months to get done.

"Your mom didn't know until I was gone and out of reach that she was pregnant with you. Our messages were always missing each other, and for all of those months, we didn't speak to each other directly. She refused to tell me that she was pregnant without seeing my reaction. If nothing else, she was a stubborn woman.

"So, it was eight months later, looking forward to nothing more than spending time with the love of my life, that as I was walking up to Tai's home, I noticed some signs of visitors. Oz. He was emerging as I got there. All the cheeky bastard said was congratulations and left. He knew before I did."

He turned to look at Ruby, as he handed her his scroll again. This time she looked down to a picture of Qrow- of her father- holding a sleepy baby in his arms, his face a mixture of awe, fear and a healthy dose of love.

The Qrow of the present had a faraway look as he started talking again.

"Your mother was holding you, and you were starting to get fussy. I heard her coo at you,...

* * *

 

_"Don't fuss so much, my little Petal. Your papa will be home soon. You want to make a good first impression, right?"_

_At the sound of his entry, only her eyes looked up to meet his. A lazy smile was on her face. Every rational part of him wanted nothing more than to be mad that she hadn't told him. Every irrational thought was that she had never been so beautiful._

_"How late am I?"_

_She chuckled, "This morning."_

_His garnet eyes flicked to hers, his mouth agape. "Summer, I am so angry with you right now." But even as he spoke, it had no fury behind it._

_He dropped his pack and weapon to the ground carelessly. Everything else could wait._

_Tentatively, he stepped forward to see the bundle of blankets in her arms. A small portion of his little one's face peaked around the blanket, and he gently pulled it the rest of the way._

_"Summer, what's her name? Have you...?"_

_He stopped as her eyes opened slowly, staring at him. His little girl had already rendered him speechless._

_"No. I was waiting for you to come home. I've just been calling her my Petal."_

_"Petal, huh? It's a good nickname, but I don't know." He glanced up at his love, his eyes glowing from what he felt._

_"Ruby." Even Summer looked surprised as it slipped through her lips._

_"Ruby." It fell from his mouth easily._

_"She has my last name, but I want her to have something from you."_

_His brow furrowed. She rested her head forward on his chest even as she pointed at the nearby mirror. As he wrapped his arms around her waist, he turned to look at the mirror. Staring back at him was his own glowing eyes._

_"That's when I know you're serious, and when you're playing."_

_She pulled slightly back away from him, looking down at the child they had made between them, practically glowing herself._

_"Ruby Rose." She said with finality._

_He nodded once. "Our Petal."_

_They watched as she moved and squirmed in her mother's arms. Little Ruby watched her father with great interest, as Summer looked on._

_"Here," she said as she gestured to him. "Ready to hold her?"_

_The fearless Huntsman's eyes grew wide, even as she placed Ruby in his arms, making small adjustments to how he carried her. It wasn't long though, before he fell into holding her comfortably._

_Later that night as the little one woke and fell asleep multiple times, it wasn't long before she realized that it was her papa that held her, and she would settle down almost instantly._

_However, it was in one of those moments of waking that something struck him about his Ruby._

_As he looked closer, a small pit in his stomach formed. "Summer, was she awake when Oz was here?"_

_Her head resting in his lap, as he held Ruby, she shook her head._

_"Let's make sure it stays that way."_

_Fear struck her eyes, and she sat up and looked over his shoulder at where her baby sat cooing at her parents, eyes wide-- silver eyes._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of the sweeter moments... don't worry. Things always change.


	9. Spectre

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Told you.

"So wait, I have a question."

"Just one? Must be doing all right with this storytelling stuff."

Ruby just smiled. "So how did you guys convince Yang I was her sister?"

"That was probably the easiest part- she already viewed Summer as her mom, so it only made sense to her that you were her sister."

"Okay... but-" she stopped herself. "I'll let you finish before I ask any more questions. I've got a feeling you'll answer them.

"As best as I can, I will always answer them."

"So what happened? Why don't I remember you as much from that time? What did I call you?"

"You probably don't remember it much, because you were so young when you stopped. You used to call me Papa."

"So, can I call you that now? Or do I have to still call you Uncle Qrow?"

He laughed, "You can call me any of the above, kiddo. I'm just glad you didn't walk out the door the moment I told you."

"I guess... I kind of always... knew. It scared me when I first really thought about it being a possibility, but it didn't feel wrong."

He turned to look at his daughter. _His daughter_. Qrow hadn't allowed himself the luxury of those words in so many years.

"So, I guess it's time to talk about the things I'm the least proud of in my life. Ruby," he leaned, forward crossing his legs once more under himself, resting his elbows on his knees. He started fiddling with his forefinger ring as he spoke. "Some of what happened, I know you will understand without me explaining- others, it might be difficult to.

"First off, I knew what my semblance was. I had known as long as I could remember. But your mom had become so adept at anticipating and being a step ahead of it, that it was almost like it was negated. Now, I also know that when I'm at peace, when things aren't as heavy on me, my semblance is quelled a bit.

"With your mom, just her and I, we knew each other so well... there were times I forgot how it hung on me. I guess my stress over worry for you- I wanted you to have peace in your life for as long as you could, and if Oz knew you had inherited your mother's trait, you would have been even further ahead in your schooling then you already were. I wanted to prevent that with everything I could.

"I was practically a child soldier myself. So I worried over you."

"What happened?"

He sighed, and plunged ahead.

"It was the thirteenth day after you were born. Your crib was just at the foot of the bed. It had been an uncharacteristically cold spring. The snow had begun to fall outside, but we didn't know it. To fight the chill in the room, we had closed every window in our little home.

"It was your thin cry that woke me. The first thing that I noticed was that I was chilled. The window nearest your crib was open, and the wind had turned to face into that window.

"Let me make this abundantly clear: even if it had been simple bad luck, this wouldn't have happened. Those windows had been locked tight. And the wind never came from the west in that house- the trees blocked it."

"In that moment, the weight of my semblance came crashing down. I had climbed out of bed and picked you up. You were like ice, and were hardly moving. Summer had barely woken up, before I took off to the main house. I knew that Tai liked to maintain a small fire on cold nights. Before I entered the house, with your mom chasing after, Tai had heard us coming. Or my yells for him. Or both..."

* * *

 

_"She's so cold, Tai!"_

_"Keep rubbing her!"_

_"I am!" The panic in his voice raised it too high._

_Tai brushed it off, continuing to stir the fire to ignite it better. Summer entered, half dressed and barefoot, looking as disheveled as he was._

_"What's going on, Ro?!"_

_"She's too cold, Summer..." his voice had dropped to a harsh whisper, and tears were in his eyes._

_Her eyes grew wide, and she reached forward. Qrow moved to hand her Ruby, but instead she guided him to hold her against his chest._

_"She'll get more warmth there. Keep rubbing her back."_

_The petite woman turned and retrieved another blanket from a nearby chest. Wrapping it over Qrow's bare shoulders and around Ruby, she slipped her arms under the blanket and around his waist pulling herself in tightly, adding her body heat to the mix._

_"You can't warm up somebody who's cold if you're cold already." Her voice emerged for the downy blanket around them. "What happened, Ro?"_

_"The window_ somehow _opened in the middle of a snowy night. Nearest our daughter's crib. Because things like that happen around me."_

_Her head popped up at the tone of his voice._

_"Ro, don't do this."_

_He didn't bother to respond, but he couldn't meet her eyes, even as the tears continued to fall._

_Tai had managed to stir the fire up enough, and he moved to Qrow's side, placing a hand on his shoulder._

_"Let me try."_

_At first, he recoiled, but he remembered who used to start the fires at their old campsites, and how he would do it. Qrow looked down at Summer and she nodded. He extricated himself from her grasp, and handed his child to Tai. In that single moment, he felt like he had given up a piece of himself, and he would never gain that back again. Safe in Tai's hands, around her, his semblance began to glow._

_Qrow turned and started walking, the blanket falling from his shoulders, straight out the door._

_Summer watched stunned as he passed her, unseeing, tears falling freely. It wasn't till she heard the front door shut behind him that a fear that he might just_ go, _sunk in, and she bolted after him._

_His foot had just touched the snow, when her voice stopped him._

_"Qrow! Where are you going?"_

_"The furthest I can get away from you two." Her eyes widened and for the first time in all of the chaos, tears started to gather in her eyes. It hit like a physical blow. The man she saw before her was the one that's eyes screamed at her during the bandit attack. They glowed in the darkness. Fear. He was so scared. And very serious._

_"This was an accident. You couldn't know if it was your semblance. Besides," she mumbled the last part to herself, "I doubt that's really your semblance."_

_"Are you really going to risk Ruby's life that it was just an accident? What happens when a limb breaks and falls on her, paralyzing her? Or when the fire in the fireplace get a random sprite and sparks at her? Will those be accidents too?"_

_"Qrow, you're blowing this out of proportion!"_

_"Our daughter might have died because of me tonight. As it is, I'm sick with worry that Tai won't get her warm enough, soon enough. Tell me how that is blowing it out of proportion! Not even two weeks and I almost kill her."_

_"No!" Summer's voice rose, furious. He hadn't heard her voice like that in many years. "You did not almost kill our child. Even if it is your semblance, it is not you!"_

_"It doesn't matter. Either way, you both get hurt." He shook his head, "I can't do this to her- or to you."_

_"When I said that I wanted to spend my life with you, and you brought up all these same points, do you remember what I said then?"_

_"That doesn't count."_

_"Of course it does!"_

_"You can protect yourself- she can't!"_

_"Then_ we _protect_ her!"

_She paused, and even in the darkness, his shadowy spectre could be seen towering over the huntsman's shoulders. Even when she didn't realize she loved him, she wasn't afraid of it. It's glowing red eyes turned with his, and they both pierced into her._

_"Please, Qrow- give it time. And if we can't make it work, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Please- give_ us _time." Her eyes were glistening._

_He stumbled a bit, steadying himself on a nearby post, and the spectre dissipated into the darkness._

_"I-" he was broken off by the sound of a pitiful wail coming from the house. He knew his baby's cry, and now that he heard it, he had no control over his actions. Nothing was going to come between him and her. He moved towards the door, refusing to meet Summer's eyes._

_"Don't go, Qrow, please." He stopped at her side, and glanced sideways at her. She could see his tears falling fast and hard. "Please stay."_

_She put a hand on his cheek. "I love you, birdbrain," a smile trying to start on her lips, "and your daughter loves you too." He leaned into her touch for a moment, then moved on into the house without comment._

_Summer followed in slower, watching as Qrow took his child from Tai's hands, thanked him, and held Ruby as tight as he could. Her tiny fists worked to gain purchase on his bare chest to hold herself closer to him._

_"I'm right here, Petal. Right here, Ruby..."_

_Please_ stay _here, she silently prayed._


	10. Peace of Heaven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I meant to spell it that way ^ 
> 
> This is a little bit of calmness before the storm... soak it up!

... so I stayed. I would go on missions, but always came back. I think the first time I went, your mom was scared I wouldn't. She kept sending me pictures and videos of you. And for the time, my semblance was at bay. I was at peace, and very happy with my life. Yeah, little things happened, but nothing dangerous.

"We kept your existence quiet, and asked Oz and Tai to keep it that way. And kept you away from Oz. Both your mom and I had managed to gather enough enemies that it was dangerous for you. I would stay as long as I could with you both before heading out on missions. We agreed that Summer needed to stay, till you were old enough."

He paused and his head dropped.

"I should have never let her come with me.

"It was a year later, and you were old enough to start walking on your own. I had just gotten home from a particularly bad mission. You and your mom were out in the yard..."

* * *

 

_"Papa!" He heard her before he saw her. His eyes scanned the yard, as a red and gray bundle plowed into his knee. Looking down at her big silver eyes wide open, staring up at his, took every weight off of his shoulders, and every ache was silenced. Dropping his gear, he picked her up and over his head. Her high pitched giggle filled his ears, and his smile grew, crinkling his eyes._

_"Unca Qwo, fuwow me!" He looked over to see his blonde haired niece running towards him, arms extended._

_"Think you can share, kiddo?" He asked the bundle in his arms. She just laughed. Placing her back on her feet, the feared Huntsman grabbed his stolid niece- she had grown quite a bit since he had last been home- and flung her high, only to catch her again. Yang cackled, and Ruby laughed at her cackling. The smile on Qrow's face grew, and before he realized, he was laughing with both of the kids._

_"Careful, oh great and fearless warrior!" His smile grew even more as he raised an eyebrow to the incoming woman. "Or your reputation might be ruined by laughing over silly things with a 2 year old."_

_Placing Yang down, he turned to Summer and pulled her close._

_"Guess I'll just have to risk it."_

_Their kiss was soft and gentle, but the long distances and time apart, laced it with longing. Even as they parted, Qrow felt his heart pound._

_A quiet whisper in her ear, "Later."_

_He could feel a shudder run through her. Separating, he gathered up his Petal, and met his niece's hand._

_"Come on, girls, let's see if Tai can watch you for an hour or so..."_

* * *

_A sigh escaped his lips as she placed another warm soft kiss to his scruffy jaw.  
_

_"Missed you, Legs..."_

_He chuckled deep and throaty._

_"I couldn't tell." His eyes glinted at her, and she playfully smacked his nearest shoulder._

_"Mm... missed you too, Short Stack."_

_Rolling off of her and on to his back, he created space at his side. Summer moved in to rest her head on his chest, an arm around his waist, and her legs tangled in his._

_"How was the mission?"_

_He sniffed. "The same. Hell. Miserable, cold, lonely. At least I knew I was coming home to this."_

_With his free hand, he started playing with her hair, a contented smile on her lips._

_"Anything new with the kids? Or Tai?"_

_A small waiver in her smile, and Qrow felt his stomach dip slightly._

_"What's wrong? Something happen?"_

_"No! No. No, I just..." she sighed, and curled tighter, hiding her face from his._

_"Hey, Summer," he gently pulled the hand in her hair to her cheek, and ever so kindly guided her to face him. Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes._

_"Sweetheart, what's wrong?"_

_She shook her head._

_"It's so silly."_

_"But it bothers you, so it can't be that silly."_

_Sighing, she face planted into his chest._

_"Iwwwmmaoowiifo."_

_His chuckle rumbled in his chest before it reached his lips._

_"Summer, Short Stack-- I can't translate mumble."_

_She tilted her head enough that she could look up at him through her bangs. In the quietest voice, she spoke._

_"I want to go with you."_

_His look was taken aback._

_"It's not that I don't want to be with Ruby, or even Yang and Tai, or that I don't want to be a mother, I just-"_

_A finger to her lips hushed her, and she actually looked at the man beside her._

_His eyes glinted mischievously._

_"Summer, I know better. You're an amazing mom, and our daughter- and Yang- are wonderful for it. I was beginning to figure that Tai was finally starting to get out of his funk. I just didn't realize that you were ready to get going again."_

_In one motion, he wrapped her back in his arms and rolled her on to her back, following after. He moved in to lay a kiss on her bare collarbone, pausing just above the height of her face. His mischievous glint was back, but his face serious._

_"I have a mission next week. Vacuo. Should be a good Grimm slashing one. Better oil up that Urumi of yours."_

_His lips touched her collarbone, and her arms wrapped around his neck, a smile on her face, and tears in her eyes._

_How could she not love this man?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At the end of this chapter, I feel like I really need to mention how awesome of a hubby I have- it's easy to write a comfortable and easy relationship when you're living in one. (He's one of the best muses and betas a girl could ask for, too)


	11. So Very Long

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please make sure to read the end notes on this chapter! I'm going to need some help from you all!!
> 
> This is a little more exposition, but after this chapter, things get a bit more exciting.

  
"... we had, uh... missed each other. A lot. It was one of the last happy memories of all of us I remember, that week. You were just so happy. Happy all the time. It was rare when you cried."

Qrow looked over at Ruby, as she flicked through the pictures on his scroll, and his heart warmed at the sight of her. She was still a happy person. Her eyes flicked up to meet his, but his were staring at the latest picture she had pulled up on his scroll.

"I snagged that- it was the last picture of the two of you together. We were leaving for that mission."

"It's the one my mom died in, isn't it?" After so many years, and such vague memories of Summer, it was easy to speak so callously, but as her words reached Qrow, he visibly recoiled.

He dropped his gaze back to his hands, studying them intently. Ever so gently, he pulled the dual rings off of his right ring finger and studied them. He could feel the familiar sensation in the back of his mind. He needed to calm down. Or drink. Both, preferably.

"Think the other three are back yet with my stuff?"

 

* * *

 

_"Don't be trying to tune me out again, birdbrain."_

_Alcohol would really help my grasp of reality._

_"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm real?"_

_I mean it would really help. Before the semblance starts kicking in soon._

_Sigh._

A pause.

_"You do know the only reason it always follows me talking to you is cause you get all panicky, Legs?"_

_At this point anything would help. I'll even take some rubbing alcohol._

_"Not in front of your daughter, you won't."_

_I might. I'm getting that desperate._

_"Not if you take a look at the expression on her face."_

_Eh. She knows I drink._

_"But she doesn't want you drunk. Especially not now."_

_I've got to stop talking with you._

_"It's the only time I can have a reasonable discussion with you! You're either drunk, fighting, or screwing over some barmaid. Or all three at the same time."_

_That's talent, sweetheart._

_"For someone who doesn't believe the voice in his head is real, you sure like to fight with me."_

_Practice for the real thing._

_"Sometimes, Qrow, you can be such an asshole."_

_Sometimes?_

 

* * *

 

Frustration built in the young woman, and she threw a glare the way of the older man. His distress told her what he was looking for in his stuff. Liquor. His eyes never shifted from the rings he continued to fiddle with, refusing to look at her eyes. A deep breath accomplished to quell some of her irritation.

"Qrow." She tried softly.

His head snapped up, looking her straight, and Ruby crumpled. The Huntsman's gaze was heavy and broken- this was harder on him than she thought it would be.

He knew who her mother was. All she remembered was a shadow and a whisper.

"What happened? On... on that mission. Dad never would tell us."

The older man swallowed hard, "Simply put, it wasn't just a Grimm slash fest." He dropped his eyes once more, refusing to meet her gaze. The walls were up again.

_"She deserves to know."_

_I know._

_"Then stop trying to avoid it."_

_Easier said than done._

Ruby sighed and tried to think of a better way to ask.

"Where was the mission at?"

A pause. "Vacuo."

"Okay. So what was the mission?"

"A large batch of Grimm had shown up at a northern decent sized town. It was supposed to be a simple mission- one that between the two of us would only take a few days." The older man still kept his gaze down, and once more Ruby recognized the insecurity that he masked under bravado and sarcasm.

She slid over a few inches, and reached for one of his hands, fiddling still with his rings. In a single touch, his hands quelled and he turned his eyes to where she held his hand. Obviously steeling himself, he took a deep breath and brought his focus back up to Ruby. Matching her eyes, he shuddered once, and began.

"Ruby, that trip was supposed to be the beginning. The beginning of what our lives were supposed to be. You safe at home, your mom and I together on these missions, coming home to you. And once you got older, teaching you whatever you wanted to learn, watching you at Beacon, having you at our side as we went out to fight. Our plans- we had talked about them so many times.

"But in the back of Summer's mind there was a fear. That one day I was going to leave. Follow my sister, or throw myself into endless missions. I had decided by that point that I wasn't going anywhere. After that one night, when you were so little, nothing uncontrollable happened, so there was no reason to leave. Summer had been right. She needed to know that.

"We- we had never really talked about marriage. Not like Tai and Raven had. We knew that we loved each other, and that was enough. But I wanted her to know-- She needed to know--."

Qrow dropped his head again, staring at the rings in his open palm.

"You know, Ruby, that she would always get stupid small things for me on missions when we were younger. Especially if we weren't always together during it. She's the one who got me my flask. Had the leather etched, even. And it was such a small thing--."

He sighed once more, closing his eyes, and pulling his fingers over the rings.

"I- I haven't told anyone about this before, Ruby. It's not as easy as I thought it would be."

She placed her hand over their clutched ones.

"It's ok, papa."

His eyes shot open, and he raised his gaze to her, his brows peaked. Startled, she took a moment to call back to mind what she had said. It had felt so natural to call him that, the words had slipped unheeded from her lips. Slowly, in the back of her mind, fuzzy memories began to unfurl.

Qrow lightly shook his head, but gripped her hand tighter.

Suddenly, the realization settled in, "You were going to ask her to marry you, weren't you?"

Nodding, and taking a deep breath, he plunged in.

"I bought the rings- these rings," he opened his palm again, "to seal the deal. They weren't anything special. They weren't supposed to be. Just a reminder that I wasn't going anywhere.

"I never got to ask her."

 

* * *

 

 

_The town was a decent one, for being in Vacuo. They actually had a true building, and not a shanty, for an inn. The Grimm were attacking at night, testing the borders, then retreating. A common tactic, so they had agreed to respond as was usual. Go out at night and push a little back. Get a feel for the forces lining up._

_It was such a simple gig, that neither hunter was too concerned. Instead, on the third night, before their evening "stroll", as they called it, they were soaking in 'local culture' at the town's pub. Summer was reveling in being somewhere different from Patch, and had no qualms admitting it freely._

_"Ugh! Qrow! How did you get me to stay on that little island for so long?" She proclaimed as she stretched in her seat next to him at the local pub._

_His eyes narrowed at her, and his lips formed a straight line._

_"I believe I answered that question four times up to this point."_

_"True," she laughed, "but I'm not sure that those answers were satisfying enough."_

_He rolled his eyes, but a smirk formed at the corner of his mouth. Leaning in close, he whispered in her ear._

_"It was the amazing sex we had when I came home."_

_She turned to face him, her mouth agape in mock incredulity._

_A raised eyebrow and a deepened smirk was his only response. His lips were far too close for safety, and she turned away, towards her ale._

_"That's the best answer you've had so far, I'll give you that."_

_Pulling back, grin fully in place, Qrow watched his love, as she started to roll the bottom edge of her cup in circles. Underneath, small glistening patterns emerged from the condensation. He rocked back in his chair, one foot propped on another chair pulled up across from him._

_"So, Short Stack: northeastern corner tonight, right?"_

_"Yeah, that sounds right." Her motions suddenly ceased, and she stared into the amber liquid near the bottom of the glass. Brow furrowed, she paused before she downed what was left. Something was off._

_Qrow interrupted her reverie._

_"What is it, Summer?"_

_She shook her head. "I- I don't know. It just feels like,... oh forget it."_

_"What does it feel like?" He pressed._

_"Like it's been too easy. We push a little, and they fall back easily. Yet they have the numbers to attack."_

_She shook her head again._

_"Tell me, Qrow, when's the last time you had an Alpha Ursa decide to slink back into the shadows once you've taken out half of their pack?"_

_He frowned. "They normally don't. The enrage and attack with abandon."_

_She leaned forward on to the table._

_"Yet last night I had one back down from me. The night before last? The Beowolf Alpha, after a hit or two."_

_A sickening sensation turned his stomach, and he pushed away the remnants of his drink. They had been enjoying their "easy ride" a little too much. Maybe they had missed too many warning signs. But hopefully, that didn't mean they were too late._

_"Let push harder tonight. Find out where they're regrouping at."_

_"Qrow- you don't think that maybe-"_

_He shook his head._

_"Doubt it."_

_"But she's the only one that can control them."_

_"Yeah, but she only appears for very specific things. And a small nothing town in Vacuo isn't a target. There's nothing out here but tents and an inn."_

_"True." She sighed again, "Sorry. Must be a bit jumpy. It's been too long. I'm rusty."_

_He winked at her._

_"You're far from rusty, Summer."_

_Leaning back once more in his chair, he continued, "besides, you're not wrong. Something's off with these Grimm. But we'll figure it out tonight, on our stroll."_

_She smiled full and genuine at him, and Qrow felt his heart skip a beat._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok... here goes: I'm nearing the end of this story. Ive got about a chapter and epilogue to write left and that's it. (Not published. You guys have a good handful left, but I wrote way ahead for a change.) SO. 
> 
> Here's where I need your help. I'm thinking of starting another story and make this a series. It would make it completely AU, but not too far flung. It would mean that I would follow other characters other than Qrow and Ruby, so it would be a bit of an undertaking. However, I already have a basic idea of where I'd take the story. What I am asking of you all: would you want to read it?? Would you like to see more of my versions of these characters and what would be next? Or would you prefer a story of Team STRQ? Please let me know what you think!!
> 
> Thanks as always for all the love, and I can't express how happy it makes me that so many are enjoying my silly ramblings!


	12. Out for a Stroll

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so thankful to all of you that took the time to comment on the last chapter!!! I will be continuing this story into a series/AU plot line. 
> 
> This chapter is on the long side, but I wanted to get you guys to some action (I was getting antsy for it, and I was writing it.) and also leave you at a good cliff-- er--- endpoint. 
> 
> Thanks again for all the love, and I hope you enjoy all this craziness below!

_Summer Rose, Urumi unfurled and at the ready, stalked out into the dunes of the wasteland of Vacuo. The heat rose off the chilling undulations of sand in waves. It wasn't the first time she wondered how her partner managed to look practically tepid in his huntsman gear. Meanwhile, sweat had begun to accumulate under her cloak, gathering at her hairline and beginning to drip down her back._

_The town's primitive lighting started to fade behind her as she pressed on in to the North, meeting no resistance. Nervously, she checked over her shoulder repeatedly, keeping an attentive ear to the noises from the town. Now would have been a perfect advantage for the Grimm to attack while it's temporary guardians were away. She knew Qrow was keeping a keener eye on the town than she, but even still the concern gnawed at her, the further she went from it with no resistance._

_Glancing up at the sky, a single small dark figure circled above, and she smiled._ Damn, it felt good to be out here again, working. Especially, _she thought_ , with Qrow.

_Inattentively, she crested a larger dune, lost in thought, only to be startled by a non threatening growl. Below her, sat multiple full packs of Beowulfs encircling a deep depression in the sand. She quickly and stealthily retraced her tracks back over the brow of the dune, only to use it as a vantage point. Fortune had smiled on her that none of the Grimm had spotted her as she had blithely wandered in._

_Sparing a glance, she noticed that the figure in the sky now passed in strafes across the newly found location._

_Deep into the recess, an orange glow emanated, spilling out into the darkness. The moon shone full, casting its white-blue light over everything else. As the huntress watched on, she could make out the figures of humans and Faunus alike, burdened and doggedly moving in and out of the orange glow._

_Despite the rustle beside her, she didn't move her eyes from the scene unfolding before her._

_"What did you see up there, Legs?"_

_He huffed while settling down on to the warm sand._

_"Did I ever mention how much I hate sand?"_

_She rolled her eyes toward him. "Love," she raised an eyebrow and cocked her head towards the valley, "what did you see?"_

_Sighing, he started._

_"Looks like there's a singular leader- big burly guy. Couldn't get the right angle to figure out if he has a weapon or what it could be. There's definitely something deep in that hole. The Grimm appear to be border patrol- keeping the prisoners in."_

_She nodded._

_"So what's in the hole?"_

_He shrugged, "Couldn't see. But it is interesting that the Grimm seem to be controlled here. Almost like..."_

_"Pets."_

_"Yeah."_

_"More and more it's sounding like..."_

_Nodding, he turned to her. "We should call Oz."_

_"Agreed, but I'm worried we'll miss an opportunity here."_

_She paused, an idea coming to mind._

_"Qrow, you're faster than me--"_

_"No."_

_"You can fly into town--"_

_"No."_

_"Call Oz,--"_

_"No."_

_"And get back here."_

"No."

_"This is one of the best options," she tried to reason with him, "because we can keep an eye on what's going on, and contact Oz immediately."_

_He grabbed her arm tightly and she really looked at him. "Tell me, Summer: if you saw a Faunus about to be killed by a Grimm, could you stay behind the dune and not do anything about it?"_

_"Qrow, I know how to handle myself."_

_His eyes grew hard. "That's not an answer."_

_She sighed. "I'll stay behind this dune, no matter what. Deal?"_

_"And you'll head straight back into town if your cover is blown?"_

_"Immediately, screaming your name the whole way."_

_"Smartass."_

_She winked. "Love you, too."_

_"There's just no winning with you, is there?"_

_"I'm surprised you keep trying."_

_He sighed and released his grip, and the young woman turned her eyes back to the dig site._

_"I'll be back soon, Short Stack."_

_She nodded, but was surprised when he laid a peck on her temple. Turning, all she saw was a flutter of black feathers, her love fading into the horizon._

_Determinedly, she forced her attention back to her mission, even as a smile tugged at her lips._

 

* * *

 

_Despite all of his intentions, by the time he reemerged from the Inn, the navy of the night sky was beginning to purple at the horizon. Panic started to set in, and as he changed form, his mind was solely on the safety of Summer._

_He released a deep sigh even as he spotted her form on the edge of the dune. A quick glance towards the worksite showed an empty space, save for the depression in the sand._

_Changing form as his foot touched ground, he kept his profile low as crept up beside her. Her posture ever watchful, she turned slightly to him as he neared._

_"They're gone?"_

_"All of them, as far as I can tell. One moment, it was the quiet, steady pace of a dig site, next, the Beowolves were howling and the prisoners were rounded up and shuffled off. Couldn't account for all parties, but it's been about an hour without any sound. Only that orange glow from deep in there."_

_She jerked a thumb at the depression in he ground._

_"Ozpin give us any info? Or direction?"_

_Qrow nodded, eyes steadily scanning the valley._

_"Said that there's an old tomb, long empty, out here, that used to hold some relic that was removed when the they built the school in Vacuo." He rolled his eyes towards Summer, "Another legend. Half the reason he kept me on the CCT. Long story short: the relic's not here, but they're not sure if the tomb is completely empty."_

_Summer sighed, long-suffering._

_"Getting really tired of these legends. So what was his direction?"_

_"Keep an eye on it. If there's movement, handle it. Otherwise, wait for reinforcements."_

_"And that's going to take... how long?"_

_"A day, he said."_

_"Or...?"_

_A smirk tugged at the edge of his lips._

_"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing."_

_He gestured with his hand and bowed his head slightly. "Lead the way, Short Stack."_

 

* * *

 

_Pausing at the entrance, Summer threw a quick glance into the depths. A straight passageway, with no turnoffs for a good hundred feet , steadily sloped downward into the earth before emptying into an indiscernible room, from where the gold glow emanated. She turned back to her companion._

_"No vantage points." She mouthed._

_Shrugging, he rounded the corner before her and into the mouth of the tomb. Silently, they slipped down together, Summer a half-step behind him. Proceeding down the hallway quickly and deftly, they met no resistance as they emerged into a cavernous room, tiered down to a centered level ground, shaped similarly to a reversed pyramid._

_In the center or peak, a sunken sarcophagus laid empty, its lid moved carefully aside, but its contents nowhere to be seen. The room flowed with brilliantly colored hieroglyphics and tarnished gold, silver and copper inlay. The orange glow seen from above was easy to identify as firelight reflecting off the faceted surfaces. Various jars, furniture, and statues laid discarded into piles by type._

_At the sarcophagus, their backs turned to the entrance that the Huntsmen were entering from, a burly, broad man in huntsman-like garb and a tall, thin, dark and regally-clad woman discussed something in hushed tones._

_Instantly, Qrow stopped his forward motion. Summer was grateful for the many months around toddlers at that moment, for her reflexes were quicker than previously. She stopped mere centimeters behind his shoulder. Cocking her head to see around him, she spotted what stopped the Huntsman's forward motion. Eyes wide, she looked up to him and they made eye contact. Both nodding slowly, together, they moved stealthily to press their backs against the wall just on the outer edge of the walkway._

_"It's enough, Hazel." The thin woman spoke, and her words were like velvet._

_"But, Your Majesty, it's merely a scrap!"_

_"It's enough to locate the book. It has the scent of Neferkaptah. We will find where Setne has hidden it."_

_Qrow threw a perplexed look towards his partner, and she shrugged. Hearing all there was to hear, and concerned that they were swiftly running out of time to escape unnoticed, he jerked his head back up the corridor they had just arrived through. Summer nodded eagerly, and they both made their way as silently and rapidly as they could._

_Along the wall the huntsman had leaned, a small piece of masonry sat perched precariously. As he had removed himself from the wall, it started to rock ever so slightly in its place. A few seconds later, once the huntsman was too far to hear it, the masonry, caught a random kink in the wall, and its momentum, cast it over the brink, and it tumbled to the floor of the antechamber._

 

* * *

 

_The warming air of the Vacuo sands greeted the pair as they emerged from the tomb. Summer paused for a breath, then followed Qrow's dogged march up to the dune edge._

_"Hey!" She cried after him, struggling to maintain his long-legged pace. "Why are we marching? I get speed, but, babe, I can't walk as fast as you."_

_Instead of responding, he stopped entirely, pulling and extending his broadsword at his side. Looking sideways at her, he finally spoke._

_"Summer, you need to go. Now."_

_She scoffed. "Not without you, I'm not. What's going on?"_

_"I felt that familiar old tingle. Something's either gone wrong or it's about to. Either way- get out of here and I'll meet you in to--"_

_Interrupted by a chorus of raspy growls, both turned to the dune ridge that surrounded the tomb. Lining the top Beowolves and a King Taijitu awaited them._

_"Well, Legs, looks like you were right. So, plan B?"_

_He sighed. "Hope you oiled the Urumi."_

_With the whisper of metal gliding across itself, he heard the coils release from her hips._

_"Taijitu, first?"_

_"Good call."_

_Without a physical sign or sound, both began their trot towards the massive Grimm. Choosing his target, he twisted his broadsword in hand, his nervous habit showing itself once more. Knowing he had telegraphed his timing, he paused a half second longer than what would have been anticipated. Summer's Urumi had embedded an end into the opposite head's nasal passage, and she had used her momentum to swing herself under the jaw and over again to land squarely on the cranial ridge._

_  
Qrow launched himself up and forward, swinging with might across the fang bearing down on him. His half step pause gave him the opportunity to strike once the Taijitu was already committed to a motion, while Summer was constantly reacting._

_On the ridge, Summer aimed her handle, as a hum started raising in volume. A single trigger pull, and the rail gun blast flung her off, along with her dislodging her Urumi. The head dropped down under the weight of her blast at the back of its head. With a flick of her wrist, her weapon whipped out and around the Taijitu's neck. A small dash of her semblance, and the metal bands garroted. The creature released a strangled noise before the bands tightened and cut deep, removing the head with a final tug._

_Meanwhile, Qrow's original swing grabbed deep into the fang, altering his angle of attack. In mid motion, as the blade finally slipped free, the huntsman triggered his blade's transformation. Throwing his weight reversed, he used his extended Scythe to swing counterweighted deep into the soft jowls of the remaining Taijitu head. Twisting, he planted his feet on the belly of the arched snake's body, gathered them up under himself. With an explosive jump, he dug the scythe in deeper, catching it at the front joint of the jaw. With the snake fully engaged on his scythe, he flung his weapon with all his might into the hardened sand bed beneath. Landing next to the disoriented head, he pulled his scythe from its wound, and with a swift swing, finished off what lay before him._

_As he turned, the huntsman caught the view of Summer in full motion, her second Urumi joining the fight against a pack of Beowolves. The misleading whisper and whistle of the metal blades through the air was punctuated by the gathering rail gun blasts. As he turned to join her a growl drew his attention behind him. An Alpha Beowolf stood at attention, staring him down. A familiar gouge out of its boney parts-- one he had left a few nights prior._

_Qrow smirked_. Game on.


	13. All the Feels (Or, Into the Void)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't hate me for this! You knew this was coming... I may have teared up while writing this...

_In between a flick of the wrist, removing the entangled Urumi blades from around one Beowolf's shoulder, and lining up a rail gun blast to a charging one, Summer spotted Qrow across the valley, engaged in a battle with an Alpha. He had gained the upper hand, and was successfully chipping away at it. Safe for the time being, she focused on the battle before her._

_The beat of battle had begun long before, but as she engaged with the beasts, the dance was now in full swing._

Beat.

_Swing at her head._

Beat.

_Crouch and kick to core. Rail gun charging._

Beat.   
  
_Aimed under jaw and fired off._

_It was the beat of her chosen homeland, and it gave her grace, as she danced between her steps, wrist flicks, kicks and swings. Following the lead of her partners, she knew their next step before they did._

_So when a new partner stepped up to the dance, she greeted his axe with an easy parry, wrapping her urumi easily around its edge and tugging. While the motion failed to remove the weapon from the burly man's grip, it stumbled him. With a shift of momentum, Summer spun to plant a boot solid in his side._

_However, sometimes, a new partner steps on your toes._

_Instead of an exposed side, he released his axe with one hand, and in a simple motion revealed a hidden dagger. Running its edge along the inner part of her calf and thigh, her aura rippled, but held._

_Deciding to change tactics, she shifted her snap kick into a swing, glancing the dagger away from her leg, and making contact with the back of his shoulder. Leaving her partner stumbling, Summer took the moment to let out a descending whistle. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Qrow as he nodded._

_His opponent had been a small distraction, and he was done with the battle. The huntsman moved in to finish the job. A shutter step, and low to high swing embedded his scythe under the ribcage of the Alpha. Twisting under his handle, he lodged his grip over his shoulder and used the fulcrum to lift the Alpha over head and on to its back. The force embedded his scythe deep enough. Letting out one last defiant growl, the Alpha faded to dust._

_Recognizing Summer's location on the opposite side of the valley, he crouched and leaped. In mid-jump and in a cloud of feathers, he changed form. Raising and raising, he reached the pinnacle, and he paused almost weightless in the air as he spotted his target._

_Flap. Flap._

_Dive._

_Mere feet from the ground, he reverted his form, scythe extended, prepared to split the man in two before him. There was no way that the opponent would have seen him coming._

 

* * *

 

_Summer had caught the black flash as it plummeted from the sky. Knowing what was next, she locked her partner in battle till the last moment, diving to give space to the incoming Qrow._

_Miraculously, even to the apparent disbelief of the acting party, the burly man's axe was raised and poised to meet and parry the full blow of the huntsman's blade. Quickly recovering from the shock, her partner moved to dislodge Qrow's scythe even as it reverted to its straightedge. Throwing a shoulder into the wiry man flung him away. A ripple of red told Summer of where the huntsman's aura stood. She quickly divided in to intercept even as the axe blade swung down on Qrow. Urumi once more wrapping around the handle, she tugged hard to divert the motion._

_Instead of resisting, the man followed the tension on his handle. A twist in his handle, and the tip extended into a fine point. The young woman arched her back, creating space for the new extension, her lips forming an impressed "oh!" as she moved. In following the motion, the axe handle broke free, even as the man rolled in to the woman, his elbow meeting her nose._

_Rippling and sizzling, her aura fell in glorious form even as the dagger slipped between her ribs._

_Even as time dilated, she felt a small smile on her face as she turned her gaze to Qrow. It didn't hurt, she noticed detachedly. But the horror in his eyes scared her. As time caught back up into it typical speed, the motion of the man continued, and he rolled her onto her back, slipping the blade away._

_Absently, she noted, now it hurt._

_Qrow dived in with fury, on his feet and springing forward, blade moving quicker than she had seen him move before. Even as his barrage stumbled the burly man, it only took a moment for a small smile to form on his lips._

_Summer did her best to regain her feet, but they seemed to disagree with her and refused to work._

_She saw the moment a step before it happened, but her mouth and body were moving too slowly to prevent it. His name was on her lips even as the axe edge caught across the huntsman's back, his aura falling. A second swing embedded into his right rib cage. As he fell to his knees, red spittle reached his lips._

_Not an instant kill, Summer knew, but between the two of them, if neither received care relatively soon, they would die where they laid in the sand._

_The burly man forcibly removed the blade from his back, and paused to move up behind the kneeling, gasping huntsman. Summer moved even as if through molasses to Qrow. Even if it was useless, she needed to know she tried._

_Even if it broke her heart._

_The burly man turned to face the observing woman. Neither huntsmen had noticed her presence, regal dress, flawless skin, and raven hair pulled into an elegant design. She watched detachedly._

_"The disgraced Branwen. He's of no use to me." She waved a dismissive hand. "She, however, might be." Receiving the slight dismissive wave, the burly man moved behind Qrow, resting his axe on the man's shoulder, blade firmly pressed into the side of his neck. He pulled back, preparing the swing._

_Hopelessness, fury and fear welled out of her heart, and she screamed after him with all the air she didn't know she had in her lungs._

_"QROW!"_

_The words reached the air even as all the emotions did. Her world shone, brilliantly, brilliantly, even as it turned to silver white._

_Distantly, she could hear the burly man yell, another sound echoing in the static filling her ears. A woman's voice screaming at her, roaring at her. The same unearthly sound repeated. Sand shifting._

_Slowly, the static faded, even as the white darkened before her. Ever so faintly, she felt arms around her, and a familiar voice in her ear._

_"Shh, Summer, Short Stack. I'm here. I got you."_

 

* * *

 

_Familiar with the abilities Ozpin had associated with her silver eyes, Qrow had never seen their affect. Around them, stone like Beowolves stood at attention. The remnants of the burly man's axe lay melted in the sand, unrecognizable. And the woman. Her pale skin had turned porcelain before his eyes, even as red hot cracks formed. She had opened a portal first for the man, then for herself, but not without cursing the woman he now held._

_The sun had asserted itself firmly in the sky. Mid-morning. Had they fought that long? Slowly, he moved to lift her in his arms, trying to ignore the excruciating pain in his back or the blood that kept working its way into his mouth. However, he knew if they remained in the full sight of the sun, their chances of survival were even less._

_After an hour of struggle, he leaned himself gently back on to the cooler masonry of the tomb entrance, facing towards the town. Slowly, he pulled her the rest of the way on to his lap. She curled up on to him, and he was frightened to feel how much blood she had lost through her damp cloak. He assumed probably the same as he had._

_If they didn't have help soon, they'd die here._

 

* * *

 

_He felt her stir, and it jogged his struggling eyelids open fully._

_"Summer, baby?"_

_Her eyes fluttered open and she groaned. Tightening further into an ball, her arms pulled close around her waist, she raised her head to meet his gaze, her eyes half opened and glazed with pain._

_"What happened, Qrow?"_

_"You did a number on them."_

_Her furrowed brow released. "Silver eyes?"_

_The huntsman nodded._

_"How long have we been here?"_

_"Since the fight?"_

_"Yeah."_

_He peaked over the header of the tomb, a frown on his lips. The sun was directly above them._

_"About 3 hours."_

_"That's it?"_

_"Yep."_

_Summer paused, dropping her head. In the smallest voice, she continued._

_"We're not going to make it out of this one, are we?"_

_She felt a shiver run through his body, and he rested his chin on her head._

_"Probably not."_

_Silence fell over them, and Qrow wondered absently if she had fallen asleep again._

_"Do you think she'll be happy?"_

_Qrow didn't need to ask who she was talking about. She had been on his mind too._

_"Tai will make sure she is."_

_"Yeah, he will. What do you think he'll tell her?"_

_"When she's old enough, he'll tell her about how much her parents loved her, and that they died doing what was right."_

_Summer nodded._

_"What do you think she'll be when she grows up?"_

_"A huntress. Like her mom."_

_"Urumi?"_

_"Nah. Scythe." A small shudder ran through her, and the  smile on Summer's face told him she was laughing._

_"Will she find love?"_

_"Of course. They'll be there all along, as a friend. And when they realize they're not just friends, it'll make sense. It'll fit like a part that was always there but never acknowledged. And they'll be so happy together. No matter what happens."_

_"Will we have grandkids?" Her voice was fading, and his was starting to crack._

_He placed the gentlest of kisses on the crown of her head._

_"Tons. And they'll hear all about their amazing grandparents who were fearless huntsmen."_

_A silence fell on them. She raised her head once more to meet his eyes, tired and in pain._

_"I love you, Qrow Branwen."_

_"I love you, too, Summer Rose."_

 

* * *

 

_It was the sound of the airships that woke Qrow. A surge of hope filled him, as he identified the sound. Forcing his eyes open, he saw before he felt the loss. Summer was nowhere to be seen. A few feet away, her cloak laid discarded on the ground._

_"Summer??" He croaked out, and he tried again, but his voice refused to work. The effort triggered a coughing fit, gagging himself on the blood rising. Even still, he pushed himself forward the few extra feet to reach her cape. His eyes frantically searched for any sign of her, but found nothing. If there ever had been, the wind and sand hid them._

_A yell from an unseen person brought medics to his side. The stretcher was brought to hI'm, and he was carried back to the waiting airships. In transit, he tried desperately to communicate to the nearest medic his need to find Summer, but they were practiced in ignoring feverish panics. And though Qrow fought to get off the cot, his weakened state left him powerless. As they neared the airships, he noticed that other huntsmen were scouring the sands, or were posted guard at the ships. Glynda. Pete. Even Bart. People he'd call friends. They would understand, right?_

_Passing Bart, he reached out and snagged his sleeve._

_"Summer!" He forced out._

_Bart's eyes grew wide behind his glasses. Turning out into the valley he called out._

_"Look for an injured huntress! Summer Rose."_

_He turned back to Qrow, resting a hand on his shoulder._

_"If she's here, Mr. Branwen, we'll find her."_

_The injured man hoped his gratitude would be seen in his eyes, because his voice refused to work any more._

_Once entering the ship, Ozpin emerged from the darkness, and stooped down next to the young man._

_"Qrow. We're going to take you immediately for care. When you're well enough, I need to speak with you about what you heard and what happened."_

_The young man's eyes screamed in fury- was he that callous? Qrow wasn't certain, but the last thing he wanted was to think about was debriefings with Summer missing._

_Ozpin reached for the cloak at the side of Qrow on the stretcher. Summer's. He placed it on the young man's abdomen, and guided his hand to it. Dropping his head, he looked out into the scorching sands._

_"I'm sorry, Qrow."_

_Turning back to the young man, he continued, "Qrow... she's gone. I think you know that."_

_Their eyes met, and in that moment, it sunk in, repeated and reverberated in his mind. Ignoring the pain, he turned to his side, and for the first time since he was a little child, he wept. Tears were rare in his life. But to weep- it was only when his heart broke. Even as he gagged and coughed on his own blood, it didn't give him pause._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be a bit of a break from the flashbacks! :)


	14. Closing Down

A small pause in his story telling gave Ruby time to regain her balance. She still sat next to her father, but he seemed very far away. His shoulders hunched, head hanging low. Something had shifted in the room, while he had spoken, as if the sun had been covered with clouds. It filled the corners of her vision, but she couldn't discern its shape. It moved with her line of sight. Suddenly, it moved out of line with her vision, and in front of her, a ghostly fog shrunk from the rest of the room into a single spot before them.

It moved like wet ink being pulled across parchment, raising from the ground, forming a vaguely human-like shape. Small and thin, it moved towards the bed, red eyes glowing and locked on Qrow.

Sitting down on it, Ruby half expected the bed to shift under its weight. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew she should be frightened by what she was watching. Instead, a sense of melancholy filled her heart.

The huntsman raised his eyes to the spectre as it shifted into a cross-legged position across from him.

"Can you see it?" Ruby whispered.

"Yes. I haven't always been able to, but since your mom died, I have."

The spectre turned its head to the side, and reached out with an inky hand to rest it on Qrow's shoulder. At the moment it touched him, the shadowy depths contracted into a definitive form. Still obsidian, it's form was of a young woman of small stature and medium length hair. At her shoulders, movement whipped and twisted, reminding Ruby of her own cape caught on the wind. Red eyes faded into silver gems glinting in the sunlight.

With a sigh, Qrow dropped his head once more and the phantom of her mother dissolved instantly, like a Grimm under her scythe.

"That was mom, wasn't it?"

"As close as a spectre can copy her."

"But how? Why? I-" she sighed and caught her father's tired gaze. "I don't understand."

A small smile tugged at his lips.

"You and me both, kid. This spectre has been haunting me since I stepped foot into Beacon. It does something with Grimm- blinding them, I think, kind of like Ren's semblance- but I don't know where it comes from, and I have no control over it."

"Does it affect your aura levels?"

He shook his head. "Not a bit."

Ruby raised a quizzical brow. He sniffed.

"Like I said, kid, I don't understand it either."

A pause filled the room, and Ruby found her eyes being drawn back to where the spectre had sat mere minutes before. Qrow seemed disinclined to continue the discourse, but Ruby had so many more questions to ask. Finally, she couldn't contain herself.

"How do you know that Mom's, well,... dead?"

Qrow sunk his head further, but didn't respond.

"You didn't see a body, right? How do you know something didn't happen to her? Or that she wasn't taken captive? Or- or- or something?"

Silence descended on the room, and she started to regret her outburst. After a time, Qrow took a deep breath, pulling his shoulders up, and looked sideways at the young woman.

"I asked the same questions- thought the same things- for years. I even went back out to what was left of that little town a year later, to try to track her down. Even if it was just her body that I found, at least that would have been closure.

"I found nothing.

"Ozpin insisted from that moment on the airship onward, that she had died. Oz usually was right about that kind of stuff, and after about three years of trying, I chose to stop. To- To try and spend as much time as an uncle could spend with his niece."

Ruby took in his words, in silence. She broke eye contact with Qrow, and looked down at their hands. In a small voice, she continued.

"Why did you leave? Why did you want Taiyang to be my dad?"

He let go of her hand, and she startled, until she felt it under her chin, gently guiding her head up, to meet his eyes. The huntsman stared hard at her.

"I never wanted to leave. Or to give up being your Papa."

He heaved a deep sigh, and his eyes softened.

"Ruby, I felt like there was no safer choice for you. The people who tried to kill me, and who succeeded in killing your mother- they knew who we were. They knew my name- and they knew who your mother was. If not by name, then at least by her silver-eyed trait.

"Combine that with my semblance- You might as well have had a neon sign pointing at you."

His hand dropped, along with his gaze.

"I told you when I began- these are some of the things I'm not proud of in my life. There are many, but these are some of the harshest ones to face."

Qrow ran a hand through his hair, pushing it back.

"But I think it's time to face them.

"When I woke back up, I didn't know where I was..."

* * *

_At some point, he woke for a few moments and fell asleep again. A little while later, he woke up and stayed that way._

_His eyes were dry, for the time, and the nurse had been polite enough in encouraging him to eat some of the bland food brought in. No visitors, no Ozpin. No Summer._

_He needed to get to Ruby._

_Tentatively, he moved and stretched. The wound was barely together, and might reopen in the trip, but he was going to take that chance. Knowing they had started him at Vacuo, he was slightly disoriented to see the lush greenery outside of his window. They must have transported him to a hospital in Vale._

_Even closer to home._

_Standing, he worked to get on his clean huntsman gear that someone had brought in. It was obvious who, when Ozpin entered. Qrow was already at the window, the pane pushed back, and poised on the sill._

_"You know you're not healthy enough."_

_"I'll heal at home."_

_"With your daughter."_

_"She can't be mine. Not anymore."_

_"What do you mean, Qrow?"_

_"She's going to be Tai's."_

_"Why? Don't you think Summer would have rather-"_

_The young man rounded on him, pausing him with a motion._

_"Don't talk about what Summer would have wanted! She's dead, Oz. And it's my fault!"_

_"How could you possib-"_

_"You know that I get a sensation when my semblance is extra strong. I felt it when we came out of that tomb. It's the only reason the Grimm would have been there. She knew who I was."_

_"She?" He shook his head, "if 'she' is who I think you're implying, we need to talk about what happened immediately. Qrow, please stay. Tell me what happened in Vacuo."_

_The young man turned out to the green lush forest stretching out before him._

_"Once I heal, I will come and tell you. I- I need to go home now. I need to make sure my daughter is safe. And stays that way."_

_He didn't wait to hear Ozpin's response, as he was already gone, in his avian form, heading home._

* * *

 

_Qrow wasn't surprised when he felt the tentative stitches come apart under the stress of the journey. Due to both the fatigue, injury and pressing weight of guilt, his trip took longer than he had anticipated. It was nearly sunset when he hopped over to a tree, reverting his form. Too tired to move, his back carefully supported on the tree trunk, he hoped that someone would notice before he tried to bleed out again._

* * *

 

_Hands full with baskets of fresh fruit, Tai was soaking in the cooling breeze and the colors cast upon the darkening sky. As he rounded the outside edge of the house, he could hear the girls playing and laughing inside._

_He was completely unprepared for the sight he came across._

_A large dark avian figure rested at the base of a nearby tree, easily eclipsing the man nestled deep within it. The figure's red eyes turned to look at Tai as he neared. Summer and Raven had been the ones unafraid of Qrow's spectre, but Tai had never been that comfortable. However, when it's eyes met Taiyang's, the feeling of dread he remembered and expected was replaced instead by an overwhelming sense of deep sadness that reached his core._

_On careful inspection, he could discern Qrow Branwen deep within the smoky darkness of the spectre. Absently, he recognized the posture of the ghostly figure as one of protection and comfort, it's abstract wings sheltering the unmoving huntsman._

_Fear of the spectre was quickly outweighed by the sight of his still friend._

_Placing his fruit to the side, he steeled himself. Summer and Raven were the only ones he had known to pierce the darkness of Qrow's phantom before. Plunging into the shadowy depths, however, Tai was amazed to meet no resistance or substance to the monstrous figure. Before him, the lanky huntsman had his legs pulled tight to his torso. His forehead rested on his knees, arms loose around his legs, and in one hand he clutched a blood-stained white cloth._

_Tai reached out, resting his hand on Qrow's shoulder. Slowly, the man raised his head, his eyes heavy, red-rimmed and unseeing. Around them, the clouded darkness fell and retracted to the huntsman's tight form._

_A breeze blew, but instead of refreshing, it chilled to the bone, and Tai shivered._

_"Qrow?"_

_"Tai," his voice was deep and gravelly, full of emotion. The blond man felt heaviness rest on his heart._

_"She's not..." his voice faded and his gaze fell back to the cloth in his hand, tears forming again._

_Instantly, Tai knew in his heart what white cloak Qrow clung to so desperately belonged to._

_"She's not coming back."_

* * *

 

_"Dad! Dad! Look! Wuby gave me dis!"_

_A blonde, energetic 3 year-old bounced on her toes just outside the front of their home with a makeshift toy in her hands._

_Tai had realized that beyond being distraught, Qrow was seriously injured and incapable of motion on his own. Supporting the man's weight, he used himself as a crutch._

_"That's sweet, Yang, baby, but Dad is trying to help Uncle Qrow._

_The bundle of energy stilled, her head cocking to one side. Staring down the injured man, she asked, "Are you okay, Unca Qwow?"_

_Tai answered for him._

_"Not right now, dragon. But he will be... better soon. Can you help Dad right now?_

_Yang nodded vigorously, her energy levels returning._

_"Can you open the door for me?"_

_Springing into action, she reached for the door, flinging it wide open and moving to keep it that way._

_"What happened, Dad?"_

_"I don't know, sweetheart. I'm sure your uncle will tell us when he can."_

_Moving to the couch, he slowly lowered the barely conscious man on to it. As he leaned Qrow back, the man let out a sound mixed with a yell and growl._

_Rolling him forward, Tai noticed the growing deep red spread across his back and cape. Quickly, he sprung into action, removing the stained gear, and resting the injured man on his stomach._

_Qrow's cry had startled Yang, and she stood back as her father worked. Ruby, however, came at a pace, eyes wide. She intuitively stood just outside of the area her uncle was working in._

_"Papa?"_

_Her little voice broke through all noises of the house. Slowly, Qrow's eyes slid open to slits, pinpointing his daughter's location in the room instantly. Still on his stomach, he reached out his unencumbered arm towards her. With no delay, she was standing at his side, her hand in his._

_"Papa?" Her eyes were starting to well, not knowing why she should be scared, but scared nonetheless. Qrow cupped her cheek, while the little girl still clasped his hand. Tears were steadily rolling from his own eyes, but he tried to smile._

_"Hey, Petal." He croaked out. His voice cracked and broke. Coughing slightly into the pillow he used to support his head, he noticed he was again coughing up blood._

_Swallowing, he turned back to his little girl. Forcing a smile into place, he tried to talk with her._

_"Miss me?"_

_She clutched harder._

_"Thought you might." His voice finally failed him, and instead he just watched her, as she went back and forth between watching her uncle as he worked, and her father, as though checking his current condition._

_He tried his best to hide the flinches and grimaces as Tai worked to restitch the wound, but some were uncontrollable. Each time his face reacted to the pain, he felt the little hands in his grip tighten, and saw her eyes grow wider._

_"...be okay, sweetheart..." he managed. Finally, Qrow felt the tension on his back release, and turned as far as he could to look at Tai. The blond man stepped back, and made eye contact with the huntsman._

_"It's done. Best I can do, Qrow. There wasn't much skin that wasn't shredded from where you broke the previous stitches."_

_The man nodded, and opened his mouth, but the effort of speaking resulted in a coughing fit. Hissing through his clenched teeth, he tried to quell the pain in his back._

_Tai placed a hand on his shoulder, and kneeled down next to Ruby to meet Qrow's eyes easier._

_"Tell us what happened later. Sleep now. We'll all be here in the morning."_

_The man nodded his thanks. Turning to the kids, Tai gestured to them both._

_"Ok girls, let leave Uncle Qrow alone for a bit. He's hurting a lot, and needs to be able to heal."_

_Yang nodded, her eyes wide, still standing back. Ruby, however, didn't move. Instead of trying to pry her away from her father, he gathered up Yang. The usually resistant girl followed without protest, and was easily brought to her room. With a kiss to the forehead, Tai promised to return once he got Ruby._

_In the short time between gathering up Yang and returning from her room, he entered the living room to see that Qrow had shifted on to his good side, facing the back of the couch, with Ruby out of sight._

_Upon closer examination, he spotted the one-and-a-half year old curled up into her father's chest, her little arms around his neck. Qrow held her tight, his back trembling as tears fell uncontrollably, his face buried in his daughter's hair._

_Tai knew that trying to take Ruby to bed at that point would only hurt them both. Instead, he grabbed a blanket from a nearby chest, and placed it over both of them. Resting his hand on his friend and brother-in-law's shoulder, he saw the man's eyes open, and send a tear-filled gaze to Tai. The man nodded once, and moved to leave them to each other._

_Even as he put the lights out, he could hear the sobs from his friend in the eerily silent house. As he went to open Yang's door, he paused to wipe away the tears gathering in his eyes for the woman who had always been like a sister to him and a mother to his daughter. Tonight was not going to be the night to tell Yang._

* * *

 

_For the next three days, Ruby was hardly away from her healing father._

_Finally, near the end of the third day, Qrow attempted to sit up. Leaning heavily on his knees, he looked thin and feeble; two things Tai never would have associated with his friend before. Ruby and Yang played outside for the first time since Qrow's arrival, and both fathers watched them intently._

_"I'm going to have to leave soon, Tai."_

_The huntsman's voice startled Tai out of his reverie._

_"Qrow, you're hardly alive. Besides, I don't know how Ruby will handle it."_

_"That's just it, Tai. I can't be around. I... I need you to be her father."_

_Tai whipped his head around to thinner man, mouth agape._

_"You can't be serious."_

_Qrow's head sunk further, and his eyes were squeezed shut. "Tai. Please, just... trust me."_

_"So you can do the same thing as Raven?!"_

_"Absolutely not. But-"_

_"You want Ruby to grow up without her father."_

_"No-"_

_"Because it's more important-"_

_"That's not-"_

_"- for you not to get hurt-"_

_"Will you SHUT UP?!"_

_Tai paused, and withdrew as the huntsman rounded on him, eyes glinting in fury. After a moment of intensity, his shoulders dropped in defeat, and he sighed as his head fell._

_"Tai, I told you what happened in Vacuo. That woman; she knows my name, who I am. And she recognized Summer. Combine that with my semblance-" he looked back up, his eyes sad._

_"She'll never be safe if she's my daughter. The more she believes it, the more she's safe. The more the town believes it, the more she's safe. I wasn't here throughout Summer's pregnancy. People could easily assume she's yours. We kept our relationship quiet, so it would be fairly easy for people to-"_

_"But what about her?" Tai's voice was quiet, and it broke through Qrow's line of thought._

_"She'll always be my daughter, Tai. And when she's old enough to be able to protect herself from m-" he paused and swallowed, "from the things that follow me, I'll tell her. It'll be her choice then as to how she feels about it."_

_"That's not fair, Branwen."_

_"I know. But it's the only thing I can give her to keep her safe."_

_"Give? You're taking away a part of her identity!"_

_"But I'm giving her a chance to live and grow in a steady family, with a sister who loves her and father who doesn't have to fear about the monsters following him home to her, a memory of a mother who died loving her. And a doting uncle who'll always be there for her when she needs him."_

_The blond man turned away from his friend, and returned to watching the girls play. His voice cold, he continued._

_"If I say yes to this, Qrow, she's going to be my daughter. There will be no changing your mind till she's an adult. Do you understand that?"_

_"I do. And I can't afford to change my mind. Her safety is more important to me than the pain it'll cause me now, and the pain that it'll cause her later."_

_"She may never forgive you for leaving."_

_"If she's more like me than Summer, she won't."_

_"You'll miss some of the biggest parts of her life. You already missed her birth and first steps. But you'll miss even more. Her first full sentence. Her first day at school. Her first fight. Her first crush. Her graduation from Combat school."_

_The huntsman dropped his head into his hands. Muffled by the motion, his voice was still clear._

_"I know. I've thought about it all."_

_Suddenly, Tai remembered the first night that Qrow clung to his daughter tightly and cried._

_"You knew before you got here, didn't you?"_

_Qrow raised his head and nodded._

_"That first night. That wasn't just because of Summer."_

_He shook his head. "No. I- I was grieving for something I'll never get to have."_

_"But you could! You could choose to stay here, be with your daughter, stay out of all this- this- shit with Ozpin!"_

_"It's too late for that, Tai. It was too late the moment they knew my name! Every minute I'm here, I'm risking every person's safety."_

_Taiyang refused to look at his brother-in-law._

_"Then, if that's the case, maybe it's time you leave."_

_Qrow gazed down at his hands, staring at the two rings that were new to his hand._

_"Yeah."_

_Slowly, he used his knees as a fulcrum and lifted himself off the chair. Small groans escaped his lips, as he moved methodically through the room, gathering what little was his._

* * *

 

_The sun was once more painting the sky with brilliant colors, casting vibrant hues on the rain clouds gathering on the opposing end of the skyline. Yang hung from her uncle's neck, babbling on about whatever bug Ruby had found earlier. Qrow held her hard as he kneeled, a small smile on his lips. When they parted, her flow of conversation abruptly stopped at a question._

_"How long will you be gone?"_

_The huntsman's smile faltered slightly, but he maintained the same light tone to his voice._

_"It's going to be a bit, Firecracker. I have a long mission in front of me."_

_Her lip pouted slightly. He tapped her chin lightly with the side of a knuckle._

_"I'll be back before you miss me."_

_"Yang." Tai stood back in the doorway, arms crossed, stone-faced. "Come here, sweetheart."_

_The little girl obeyed, going to her father's side. Qrow turned his gaze to his daughter as she stood a little ways back, hesitant, with silver eyes wide._

_"Hey, Petal."_

_His voice broke her out of her trance and she flung herself at him. As he clutched her to his chest, and felt her little arms around his neck, he willed himself to swallow the tears._

_"Papa."_

_"Yes, Ruby?"_

_"No."_

_Qrow dropped his brow into the crook of her neck, and couldn't stop the few tears that escaped. Finding his voice, he finally spoke, deep and broken._

_"I have to go." His grip tightened on her. "To keep you safe."_

_The two stayed locked in their hug in silence. As far as Qrow was concerned, he could live he rest of his life like this, and maybe he'd actually feel complete again._

_Slowly, he forced himself to pull them apart. Tear filled gazes met each other, and he almost gave up then. Steeling himself, he continued._

_"Ruby, I need you to do me a favor. Do you think you can do me a favor?"_

_The little girl nodded._

_"I need you to play pretend. Pretend that Uncle Tai is Dad. Can you call him that? And listen to him like he's Dad?"_

_She looked hesitant._

_"Just pretend, okay, baby?"_

_A pause, then the little girl nodded._

_"Just pretend till I come back, ok?"_

_When she nodded a second time, he felt as if a door had been shut. There was no turning back now. He knew that by the time he came back, it would no longer be pretend to her. Tai would be Dad, and he would be Uncle Qrow. One look at Tai confirmed that he would support the illusion until it was real to his daughter._

No. _He thought darkly._ His niece.

_With a deep breath, he cradled the little girls cheeks and forced a smile onto his face._

_"That's a good girl. Ruby Rose, my Petal, always know that I love you. And that I will try my best to always be there for you. It's going to be a long time before I'm back, but please know that I am always thinking about you. I know you don't understand everything that's going on, and that's ok, baby. Please just remember, if nothing else, that I love you. More than anything and everything else."_

_He placed a peck on her the crown on her head and felt her little arms once more wrap around his neck._

_"Papa, luff."_

_Giving her a quick squeeze, he gently extracted himself from her grasp, even as the tears threatened to fall, and went to his feet._

_"I know, Ruby."_

_Looking up, he made eye contact with Tai._

You don't approve, but-, _he thought._

_"Thank you," is what escaped his lips. The blond man nodded, his face still angry._

_Looking down at his daughter, he forced a smile back on to his face._

_"Be good, kiddo."_

_A full smile reached the little girl's face and she lit up. He rustled her hair one last time, and started backing away a few steps. He took in the view, Tai in the doorframe, Yang at his side, and Ruby at the entrance a few steps in front of them all. He forced the smile to stay until he turned away and began his trek into the woods. As soon as he was out of sight and sound of the house, he allowed the tears to fall. The rain started to descend on him, and he decided to keep walking. It might have been easier and quicker to fly, but in that moment, he needed to feel human._

_That walk was the longest he ever had to make_


	15. The Beginning of Something New

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the end. (IREACHEDTHEENDANDIMSOEXCITED)
> 
> This is not going to make it all better. Because it wouldn't be all better. There is an epilogue at the end... in a few days- the next story in the series is going to be entitled O-Yoroi, so please keep an eye out for it!
> 
> Thanks so very much for all of your amazing feedback, reviews, favs, kudos, favorites and overall amazingness! I hope you'll enjoy this ending- and will enjoy the story to come! Much love to all of you!

"... Like I told you earlier, I took the next three years and followed every lead I could about Summer. Whispers of red-haired women, recent legends of Urumi wielders. I must have scoured that sand- every square foot for miles- at least a dozen times. If I could just find her- if she was somehow still alive... then I could come home and claim my daughter. Together, Summer and I were enough of a force." He scoffed and shook his head.

"Oz told me that I was wasting valuable time. Surprise, surprise- he was right."

"There was nothing, was there?"

"Not just nothing- absolutely nothing. Every single whisper led to either it being completely falsehood, or to someone that wasn't even remotely similar to your mother."

"Is... is that when you started drinking like you do now?"

The huntsman flicked his eyes up to hers. Her gaze was eager and honest. He couldn't hold up under it, and dropped his own downward.

"Yeah."

He heaved a deep sigh, and kept his head down as he continued.

"I'm a weaker man than I try to be. I had lost everything. And it was all my fault. I said yes to Summer. I took the mission. I was the weak link that got her killed. It was my semblance that got us found out. I chose to walk away from my daughter. One I couldn't face sober."

His voice broke, but he pressed onward.

"I tried to. After three years, I knew that I wouldn't be finding her. There wouldn't be anything left to find. So I came to see you. I thought I was ready."

Shaking his head, he scoffed at himself.

"I watched you play with Yang, and to see you so happy- I was content with my choice. Then Tai called you in. When I heard you call him Dad, I broke. I- I couldn't face it. All I could hear was your mother's voice in my head, telling me... far too many kind things. I knew it was my conscience telling me what I wanted to hear. Soothing my soul. But I couldn't forgive myself for what I had done to you- to our family."

_There was nothing to forgive, Qrow._

"So I drank her voice silent, and my heart numb. When I came enough out of it, I went to see you, but I panicked to see you two nowhere to be found. Your sister had made that trek to the old town, where Raven had been, once upon a time. I was barely in time to save you both."

"I remember that."

"Then you know what all has occurred since then."

Ruby paused and cast her eyes down to her own empty hands, her brows peaked. "This has been a lot of information. I mean," she gestured widely, "a lot.  
style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""

Qrow tentatively raised his eyes to her. She smiled.

"And I'm okay with that. I wanted- and needed-to know. And just so we're clear," she pointed a finger at the huntsman, "I'm not happy that everyone hid this from me. I wish I had known. Even if I didn't understand why, I wish you guys had told me."

"That's my fault."

"Yeah," she nodded matter-of-factly, "it is."

Qrow smirked. "At least you inherited your mother's honesty."

Ruby's smile had reached her eyes by the time he turned to her again.

"Uncle Qrow, Papa, whatever- I'm frustrated and mad that it's been hidden from me. But," she shrugged, "I do understand why, and it does feel right. It's going to take me a while to get used to it, and what it means about who I am."

She reached out a hand to her father's shoulder. The older man's eyes yearned for something, maybe... forgiveness?

"But, you need to know that I forgive you for what things you did wrong, and that there are a lot of things that just," she gestured abstractly, "happened!"

Ruby sighed.

"And I do love you, Papa."

Qrow seemed to crumple even as if all the weight of the world was removed from him. Staring at his daughter, he could hear her voice from so many years ago.

_"Papa, luff."_

It had been years since he had allowed the tears to fall as often as he did in this single day. And yet, these tears were welcome. In Ruby's eyes, he could see the same tears of joy gathering. With an unexpected motion, the young woman flung herself into his arms, and Qrow held her tight. As tight as he did those 14 years prior when he realized that he was losing his daughter. This time, though, he was getting her back.

"I love you too, Petal."

* * *

 

**EPILOGUE**

 

In the deepest parts of the Citadel, situated in a land left untouched by the sun, where the sky remained a permanent purple glow, there was a nearly forgotten wing left practically untouched.

Down a neatly maintained, cramped hallway, a smoky fog hung low to the floor. Tucked into the furthest corner, a sickly yellow glow emanated from the alcove. A large capsule filled the space, casting off the light filling the nearby vicinity. Through the translucent membrane that faced outward, an indistinct figure laid still, reclined. The occasional jerk, or a sudden shift, and the being within would thrash, flail or even emit a muffled scream.

At this point, however, they remained at peace, almost death-like. With a jerk, the figure flung itself towards the membrane, and an Encheleus Grimm was secured, its jaw wrapped around it's subject's skull, its teeth securing its place at their cheekbone, obscuring their identity even further.

The being threw itself back into the foggy recesses, listless once more. Slowly, their hand raised to the membrane, palm facing outward.

From the outside, an inky spectre's red glowing eyes stared steadily to where the being's would be if they could meet their eyes. Glacially, the phantom's hand raised to mirror the entrapped being, palm to palm.

Together, one word on both lips, emerged.

"Ruby."


End file.
